Path forward six more wins

BYU vs UCLA or Michigan State
Cougs should be favored though both had disappointing years and a victory here would help them make up for it.

Assuming a win
BYU vs Texas or less likely Abeline Christian…most likely Texas.
Texas is hot and is as good as the Cougs…if Haarm and the rest of the bigs step up could be another BYU over Texas where is Taysom Hill when you need him?

Assuming the win
UCON, MD, or Bama
UCON is unconscious hot right now
MD disappointing year but B10 solid
Bama the one team I think can really run through the Bulldogs the way BYU did in the first half earlier this week.
BYU probably loses to Bama

Assuming the win
BYU vs
Michigan, Georgetown or FSU
BYU Michigan would be fun
Big against big
Short against short
Pope against Howard…hope to see many of theses in the next few years
Gtown is probably the hottest team heading into the tourney…no BE tourney title no dance, they are dancing…They are at least sweet16 good.
FSU…just don’t think they can handle Michigan or Gtown

Assuming the win
My dream matchup
Gonzaga vs BYU round 4…
perfect setup for the rivalry
BYU can beat them this time…

Assuming the win
BYU vs Houston or Baylor
either would be a fun match
Houston has more to prove and BYU beat them at the buzzer last year.
TJ is not around but the front court is stronger…

BYU wins in Popes second year.

Then I wake up…

MSU has all there players back and playing well. Pope almost beat GU so I expect BYU to be ready to play. UCLA can upset MSU. Don’t count them out either. This is a real strong field.

It wouldn’t be unprecedented for somebody with a comparable seed to BYU to win a national championship. I don’t think it will happen but it could. Remember NC State over Houston in 1983. Houston was a truly great team with 2 future NBA superstars and 2 other guys who played in the NBA and a guy who probably would have been a very good NBA player if his personal life hadn’t gone astray. That was one of the best college teams ever but they didn’t win it all. Georgetown in 1985 was the defending national champion and going into the tournament was considered an odds on favorite to win it but ran into a Villanova team they had beaten twice in the regular season and Villanova had the game of their lives and won. Neither NC State nor Villanova was a high seed. So it could happen that BYU wins it all but the odds are better that they are one and done but we can hope and dream.

In 1983 NC State was a 6 seed and lucky to beat 11 seed Pepperdine in the first round. I remember watching that game and NC St. fouling at the end and Pepperdine missing free throws to hand the game to NC State. After that all the stars aligned for NC State. Villanova was an 8 seed in 1985 and lost twice to Georgetown during the regular season. I looked all this up on Basketball Reference to make sure my memory hadn’t failed me.

The above history shows that a team like BYU could win it all. Having said that I am not getting my hopes up. The difference between BYU and Villanova and NC State is that the Big East in 1985 was the best conference in the country with 3 final four teams and of course NC State was in the ACC.

For anything like that to happen, you would have to have Lohner shoot the ball 5-9 times a game and he FROZE up for the Zag game. We would also have to play TO free basketball and that is not happening lately.

Let’s hope both happen…