With the College Basketball season now a few weeks removed, and I'm looking for something to talk about in the college sports world. I pulled out my College Basketball preseason magazines and looked to see which one was the most accurate.

To determine which magazine was the most accurate it will just be a basic subtraction formula. If a team finished 7th in the actual poll and was picked 5th then the number on how off they were would be 2, and that is listed in parenthesis. The fewer points a magazine has the more accurate it is.

Athlon's Pre-season Picks

1. San Diego State (3)
2. Air Force (1)
3. BYU (2)
4. New Mexico (4)
5. Utah (2)
6. UNLV (4)
7. Colorado State (1)
8. Wyoming (3)
9. TCU (0)

Total: 20 points

Lindy's Picks

1. BYU (0)
2. Air Force (1)
3. San Diego State (1)
4. New Mexico (4)
5. UNLV (3)
6. Colorado State (0)
7. Utah (0)
8. Wyoming (3)
9. TCU (0)

Total: 12 points

Street & Smith's Picks

1. San Diego State (3)
2. BYU (1)
3. Air Force (0)
4. UNLV (2)
5. Utah (2)
6. New Mexico (2)
7. Colorado State (1)
8. Wyoming (3)
9. TCU (0)

Total: 14 points

So the most accurate magazine last season was Lindy's which had BYU winning the title. Most magazines under-estimated UNLV, and were very high on New Mexico due to J.R. Giddens, who last season was a bust. Trent Plaisted graced the cover of all these magazines and Street & Smith's dubbed him "the best player the nation never heard of." Plaisted was a 1st Team All-MWC selection by all these magazines and finished the season as a 2nd Team performer.

The only magazine to recognize eventual Player of the Year, Keena Young was Lindy's, who had KT as a 3rd Team All-MWC selection. No one saw Young as the POY.So next September, when Basketball magazines hit newsstands pick up Lindy's because its apparently the most accurate.

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Assistant Men's Basketball Coach Walter Roese is leaving the basketball program to take a similiar position at the University of San Diego.

Roese came to BYU back in June 2005 during Coach Rose's first season.  According to BYUCougars.com, Roese was the first full-time Brazilian assistant coach in Division I.

Prior to BYU Roese was at BYU-Hawaii where he was a volunteer assistant.  Roese had an impact in getting last season's MWC Freshman of the Year, Jonathan Tavernari, due to his strong ties to Brazil.

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Over at Beat Writer Pat Kinahan's blog he mentions that Plaisted is flirting with the idea of going to the NBA.

When I read this I thought, "Is Plaisted crazy?"  I honestly don't know what he is thinking with this one.  He is obviously getting some terrible advice.  Now I'm not saying that Plaisted doesn't have the potential to be in the NBA, but as of right now he will just be another Marcus Slaughter (San Diego State).  Plaisted needs to develop that mid-range jump shot that Keena Young mastered towards the end of his career.  Plaisted has all the makings to be in the Pros.  But right now, he is completely one dimensional with his little baby hook shot in the middle of the lane, that's it.  Then his Free Throw shooting is terrible.

If Plaisted actually does go and try for the NBA and get a Agent, BYU basketball will be hurting next season, even more.  We would go from a NCAA Tournament team to a team barely making the NIT without Plaisted.  He just needs to stay in school and improve his game.

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Before the hoops season started in Los Angeles back in November, I set out a list of goals for this 2006-2007 BYU Basketball squad.  Here is how the Cagers fared on the tasks that we felt would bring BYU Basketball back on the national scene and achievements that had not been done in awhile.

GOAL #1:  OUTRIGHT MWC TITLE

I was pretty accurate on this prediction.  The Cougars did win the MWC outright title for the first time since the '87-'88 season.  I was also right on the team winning five MWC road games to win the title.  BYU finished 13-3 in conference, going 8-0 at home and 5-3 on the road.  This was the #1 goal because the regular season title is always the most important thing you want every year as a program.  Almost won the conference tournament but a red hot Top 25 UNLV team detoured those plans.  This was the first time BYU Football and Men's Basketball won outright titles in the conference since the '81-'82 season.

#2 VICTORY IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT

After the Lamar game earlier in the season, the NCAA Tournament was a distant thought but once we had a 7-game home stand and conference play started that's when this team was kick started and was playing to their expectations.  As the MWC regular season champ, the infamous Joe Lunardi had us projected as a 5 seed.  I've come to the conclusion that guy is a joke.  We ended up with a 8 seed out in Lexington, KY.  We played a very beatable Xavier team who had plenty of Tournament experience.  This was the chance to show BYU basketball is back and a force to be reckoned with.  The only way to get attention on a national scale is get wins in the Tournament and that has eluded BYU.  We just can't pull out the wins.  Xavier made a run late and won by two.  It was a heartbreaking loss and left this Senior class feeling as though something was missing, and unfinished.  This task was failed.

#3 BEAT UTAH AT THE HUNTSMAN CENTER

BYU came into the Huntsman Center in late January coming off a two-game winning streak, and was starting to build confidence.  There was no doubt in the minds of Cougar faithful that this team would finally end this losing streak.  Another reason for that was this Utah squad was horrible.  BYU only won by 10 in the Huntsman Center ending the drought but it could have been a lot more.  We finally got the sweep over the Utes this season, victory in football and two wins in hoops.  The game at the Marriott Center was sweet.  It gave us the outright crown and we won by 23.  Like Austin Ainge said, there isn't a better way to win it.

#4 GET AT LEAST ONE WIN OUT OF THE UCLA AND MICHIGAN STATE GAMES

Here were two other chances for BYU to make a splash against national powers.  We opened the season in Pauley Pavillion and were up by three at Half.  But the athleticsm of UCLA took over.  UCLA is in the Final Four right now, and it irks me because we should have beat these guys.  BYU was its own enemy against the Bruins with too many Turnovers.  I remember watching the game on FSN Prime Ticket and the announcers were saying that this BYU squad would be in the Top 4 of the Pac-10 this season.  Against Michigan State on ESPN2 (a rare occurance these days) with Brent Musberger commentating along with Steve Lavin, they were very impressed with BYU.  Lavin even said, that BYU is a potential Witchita State from the previous season who could make a deep run in this tournament.  What I'm saying with that is people in the media when they see BYU realize the potential, but the team it self has failed to realize it.

BYU is always gonna be a force in the Mountain West particularly at home, and in the past two seasons have been great on the road in conference.  But in order for this program to take the next step they need to win games against big name non-conference opponents.  Michigan State comes to Salt Lake next year in the Energy Solutions Center.

I'm excited for the future of this program, and the BYU administration needs to give Coach Rose a raise.  This guy is a stud, he is gonna lead this program to big things.  I firmly believe that.  He is definitely the man for the job and he needs to be rewarded for his great efforts with a pay raise.  I wouldn't doubt it if down the road, his alma-mater, Houston came calling and he did a similar thing like Cleveland.  So we need to lock him up.

All in all a great season, a MWC title and two wins over Utah, and a Top 25 appearance for the first time in 13 years is always great.  But as mentioned earlier this program needs to get the big non-conference and NCAA tournament wins to make waves on the national scene and thats what we want.

Go Cougars!

--Mitch

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This game hurts alot.  Hurts more than the lost to Syracuse back in 2004. So many opportunities to take over this game.  I will break it down tomorrow and give Senior salutes.  But I need some time to recover from this one. My bracket is finished who cares about the tournament now.

Box Score
Recap

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Time: 7:30 p.m. (local time)
TV: CBS (Gus Johnson; play-by-play)
Location: Rupp Arena (Lexington, KY)
Radio: KSL 1160, 102.7 FM (Greg Wrubell, Mark Durrant)

This is going to be a great game. Post your comments about the game in the comments section. Sign up for your free account today to post your thoughts on the game. Here's the bracket for the South Region.

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Tonight at Rupp Arena in Lexington, will be BYU's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since the 2003-2004 season where we lost to Gerry McNamara and the defending National Champion Syracuse Orangemen in Denver.

The Cougs haven't won a tourney game since '93 (SMU in Chicago) we all know that, and in order for that long drought to end here are some things that need to be done.

 FAST START!
The last two games in the Mountain West Tournament against Wyoming and UNLV, BYU got off to hot starts.  Here in the Big Dance that is a must especially for this team who has no experience at this stage.  Also, with the fast start it puts the Musketeers their backs against the wall immediately and they will start to hurry things.

Make Free Throws
BYU shot only 60% in the MWC Tourney.  In order to make a run in the NCAA Tournament that is not gonna cut it.  We know that Plaisted most likely is gonna miss FTs, but if he can at least make 1 of 2 everytime and get points it will help drastically.

Austin Ainge
Ainge is a streaky player, he struggled mightily against UNLV's press defense.  Ainge when in rhythm is an outstanding passer and can make great plays.  But as Mark Durrant would say, "Ainge makes ya have white knuckles with some of the decisions he makes."  (During the UNLV broadcast) I couldn't agree more with that.  Point Guard play is crucial in the tournament, and Ainge on the defensive end needs to contain from the Musketeers' top player Lavender who is their little general standing at only 5'7.

Finish Strong
Against Wyoming and UNLV, BYU ended the game poorly.  Mainly due to the lack of FTs being made.  But this was a mainstay with Steve Cleveland teams when we would get a big lead to not blow it.  So finish strong.

Prediction
BYU 84  Xavier 77

Xavier will have no answer for BYU's big men up front.  Xavier's tallest player is only 6'9.  Then if the Musketeers decide to double team Trent or KT, our bigs will kick out to one of our many sharp shooters.  It will be a tough game but BYU finally ends their 14 year drought without a tourney win.

Go Cougs!!!

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The Madness is underway and I'm loving life with this March Madness on Demand.  I'm watching all the games this is truly great.  Now I'm even more pumped for the game tonight against Xavier now that the tournament is underway.

I'm watching the Louisville-Stanford game and its at Rupp Arena (where we are at) and the announcer is Gus Johnson.  I'm excited about that he is one of my favorite College Basketball announcers.  Not sure who the color commentator is though.  This is one of the best days in sports!

For the record here is my bracket. I filled this out before the games started. Enjoy!

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BYU is back in the Big Dance and they are playing from the Atlantic 10 conference, the Musketeers of Xavier out in Lexington, Kentucky at Rupp Arena.  BYU received an 8 seed, lower than many felt would be a 6 or possibly a 5.  If the Cougars get past Xavier the opponent is the #1 team in the land in Ohio State led by Grandaddy Lebron James from the Nike commercials look-a-like, Greg Oden.  It's going to be a daunting task getting out of that first weekend.  But first thing is first is playing Xavier.  There will be much more coverage of the tournament throughout the week.  The game is this Thursday on CBS at 7:40 p.m., which is the night cap game.

BYU is lookin for their first NCAA Tournament win since 1993 against SMU out in Chicago.  It's been long over due so its time to get off the snide and get a win.

Here's to hoping BYU gets to Atlanta and has "One Shining Moment!"
This clip is from 1998 the year Utah lost in the Final, thats why it was chosen.  :-)

Go Cougars!

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It wasn't the greatest weekend for BYU basketball this past weekend at the Thomas & Mack Center, but the Cougars still managed to get to the championship game against the #25 ranked UNLV Rebels.  Here's some thoughts from each game this past weekend.

Thursday:  TCU
The Cougars came into the tournament with the #1 seed and were riding high off their convincing victory over Utah.  TCU was winners of 3 of their last 4 games and were starting to gain confidence.  BYU played very average at the start having many turnovers and giving TCU life to stay in the game.  BYU was dominating the boards the entire game but struggled to play consistent on offense and pull away.  It was simply a off night for the entire Cougar squad.  Player of the Year Keena Young was struggling.  But Lee Cummard was outstanding being the "do it all" type of player he has been all season.  TCU head coach Neil Daughtery said Cummard is one of those players you love to watch but you hate him as well because he does so much to make his team better.  The Cougs pulled away late with a 77-64 win but alot of work needed to be done.  Free Throws needed to improve.

Friday:  Wyoming
The Pokes continued Air Force's 1st Round losing streak in the conference tournament, and put the Cadets squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.  Wyoming had many fans like they always do for the tournament.  BYU came off to a firing start getting up to a 20 point lead.  But unlike Cougar teams of old the Cougars couldn't seal the deal by knocking down Free Throws.  The Pokes had life and cut the lead down to 6 but they really couldn't get any closer.  Plaisted tied his career high with 27 points.  Mike Rose hit a big three pointer to put the game at 82-72 and practically sealed it.  With the win it was BYU's first trip to the MWC Tournament championship game since 2001 (New Mexico).

Saturday:  #25 UNLV
It was a Top 25 showdown in Vegas against the home town favorite.  UNLV had two easy wins over Utah (giving Giacoletti a fitting farewell), and Colorado State (probably a farewell for Layer as well).  The Cougars were up to a 14 point lead and then squandered it mid-way thru the 1st half.  But then the Cougs built it up to 11 with a 37-26 lead at halftime.  Then in the 2nd half the Rebels pretty much took over and the Cougs didn't have any answer for the Rebs on defense.  It was frustrating because the Cougars are much better than they played in the 2nd half, and they missed too many Free Throws yet again.  This could potentially hurt our seed but it really shouldn't considering we were playing a road game against a very good Top 25 team.  But 60% from the Foul line during the entire tournament is not gonna win games.

It was a fun weekend, but this is a wake up call if this team wants to make a deep run in the tournament which they are very capable of.

--Mitch

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BYU claimed the outright Mountain West Championship in hoops yesterday in front of a sold out Marriott Center crowd. This is the first time BYU Basketball has won an outright Conference title since the '87-'88 season.  Its been a long time coming.

BYU finalized the sweep against Utah as well which is always a great feeling.  The Cougars struggled at the beginning of the game letting Utah get two easy baskets to start but from then on BYU was in control for the majority of the game.  Utah Center Luke Nevill was non-existent due to foul trouble which opened up the middle for BYU.

This is a great time as a Cougar fan the first time we have outright conference champs in both football and men's basketball since '82-'83.  Its been a long time.  But lets enjoy this.  I'm glad the Cougs were able to give Giacoletti a proper farewell.

Go Cougs!

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College Basketball in the state of Utah is a complete afterthought anymore.  You wouldn't realize that tomorrow is the big game against Utah at the Huntsman Center to finally avenge all the losses that we have suffered there in the past decade or so.

It's amazing how big of a gap there is between football and basketball, in terms of interest and it puzzles me as to why that has happened.  A week or so ago, I was watching BYUTV Classic BYU sports, and I saw the '94 BYU vs. Utah game at the Marriott Center with Barry Tompkins and Marques Johnson doing the call.  It was a great game to watch, and what I found really interesting was the intensity, the capacity crowd, and how loud the MC was.  Last season when BYU hosted Utah there was only 13,000+.  Not too impressive especially when you consider about a thousand or two were Utah fans.

Unlike the majority of people, I'm really excited about this game, and I feel BYU is finally gonna get that elusive win in the Huntsman Center.  I hate having to hear Greg Wrubell after losses to Utah at the JMHC when we are finally gonna break through, and its time to end that and give the Cougar Nation some more excitement.  On paper, BYU should dominate but Utah has had BYU's number in recent years and BYU always tends to play one of their worst games of the year against the clowns from up north.

Also, thanks to "Hair" Thompson the game will be on the beloved mtn.  So if you don't have access to the mtn. and you live in the area get to the Huntsman Center and cheer on the Cougs.

Time:  8:00 p.m.
TV: mtn.
Location:  Jon M. Huntsman Center

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