Sweet, Sweet Revenge

Well I decided to get a blog after I saw my sisters...but mine will be kind of different. Most everything I say will have something to do with BYU sports--pretty much all men's basketball right now. Not just BYU, but the whole Mountain West Conference! But first, I'll start with a bad memory of earlier in the season...

Let's face it-no one wants to remember that sad excuse for a basketball game in January when the Cougars lost by 29 to UNLV on their home floor. It was hard to believe BYU was the team to beat--but that's just why it was such a horrible loss. The Cougars are so good that every team somewhat singles that game out as something they want to win so bad their teeth hurt. That same thing happened last year at San Diego, and it happened at the Thomas & Mack this year, with a possible repeat at the home of the Aztecs. But back to UNLV, at that game they played tougher defense and were as aggressive as any team I've ever seen. Give them credit--they got what they wanted, but that loss fueled the Marriott Center fire hotter than I've ever seen it.

The Rebels came to Provo last Saturday hoping to put an end to the Cougar's 43-game win streak at home, as well as work their way closer to the top of the Mountain West. But hoping was as close as they would come.

A few minutes in to the game when the score was 7-6 BYU, I was scared that it would be a close one the whole way through. But that was definitely where the closeness ended. The Cougars made shots, the Rebels didn't. The Cougars had the white-out crowd of over 23,000 behind them, the Rebels had a few scattered fans here and there. It was seriously the most exciting and energy-filled place that I have ever been in. One of my favorite parts of games in the Marriott Center is when players on the opposing team foul out and the student section chants, "Left, right, left, right, left, right, SIT DOWN!" Two of the Rebels fouled out--twice the fun. 74-48. Just let the score do the talking. Every BYU player came to win--and win they did. As usual, Lee 'the Spiderman' Cummard had a stellar performance with 18 points, 3 rebounds, an assist, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. But Trent Plaisted was the man with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. He also had 4 dunks that brought the house down. The best part is that he was 6 of 8 on free-throws, forgetting all about his 1 of 10 performance in Vegas. And even though Tavernari only had 6 points, I was pleased with his selection and willingness to give up his good shot for a better one, having 4 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal of his own. Even the freshmen came off the bench for immediate impact. Chris Collinsworth had huge defensive presence and a Cougar game-high number of rebounds with 9. Jimmer Fredette had 9 points and even had the opportunity to play some point guard while tying his season-high of minutes with 24. Chris Miles was very aggressive and played awesome as well. I believe the Cougar student section summed it all up with their chant with about 2 minutes left in the game--"We want Utah, we want Utah, we want Utah!" Although this game felt like a rivalry game, I can't wait for this Wednesday when the real rivals come to town. Bring it on!