The Silver Lining...

Is it sad that it's barely 50 degrees at its warmest today, and I just had to wear shorts and sandals to take advantage of the warmth? This comes from the girl that thinks 80 degrees-plus is perfect. I think I'm going crazy--I just want summer! 

Well, BYU basketball is over for the season, but after the Kansas State game on Saturday, I couldn't help but think of only positive thoughts.

1. After losing the rebound battle badly and getting outshot (it's hard to not get outshot when Kansas State made everything...) the Cougies didn't get blown out in the slightest. It was even closer than the final score, 84-72, despite it all. Kansas State is good. And they played that way.

2. Everyone was saying that as long as they finally win a first-round game this year, they'd be satisfied. It's true for me! Of course the Sweet Sixteen would have been lovely, but I can't help but smile when I think of how I felt after the Florida game.

3. 30 wins! School-record, and so many teams would kill for that number. Love it.

4. Next year. Virtually everyone is returning! My assumption is that Jimmer will be back, and I sure hope so. I think it's the best thing for him to get another year at the collegiate level. Chris Miles, Jonathan Tavernari, and Lamont Morgan, Jr. are graduating, and Tyler Haws is going on a mission to the Philippines. They'll all be missed for their individual strengths, but I really don't think the team will take a hit. Chris Collinsworth comes home from his mission soon, and his brother Kyle will be a freshman. Expecting great things from those boys.

Did you see the Kansas-Northern Iowa game? Hot dang. While I did pick Kansas to win it all in one of my brackets, I couldn't help but be so happy for UNI. How cool is it for a 9-seed to come in and knock off the expected champs from even making the Sweet Sixteen? Dang. It was pretty awesome.

And Kansas, I know you must be extremely disappointed/sad...but get off the dang floor and be a good sport.

Just some pics I found in the Facebook group "Remember when Kansas choked in the 2010 NCAA tournament? That was AWESOME" that I thought were pretty funny.

One things for sure, March Madness is really living up to all the hype!

AMAZING

I don't think I have even been so excited as I was yesterday after the buzzer to a certain second overtime sounded. And you can't blame me, I was not even two years old the last time BYU won an NCAA tournament game in 1993. Many people thought Florida would be an "easy" game, but isn't it only right that after waiting so long, the victory came on a few miracles and an unlikely hero amidst the huge shadow of Jimmer Fredette.

I'm talking Michael Loyd, Jr. As a red-shirt sophomore, Loyd has recently stepped up in the biggest ways. His breakout game came against New Mexico when he essentially carried his team with 19 points, and greased lightning speed and athleticism. That game didn't end the way they hoped, but his new-found confidence carried on to an 18-point first half at Utah. So, why not choose the NCAA tournament to make your career high even higher? When Jimmer wasn't shooting his best against Florida, and when the Cougars desperately needed a spark, none other than Loyd came off the bench and scored 10 straight points. He continued throughout the whole game to light BYU's fire, and was virtually the only offensive threat in the first overtime (thanks to the amazing three by Jackson Emery that made it possible). For a less-than-excellent free-throw shooter, he made all of his freebies when they counted the most. I consider him the reason the Cougars were in this game, shooting his way to a new career-high at 26 points. He also shot 70% from the field, 9/10 on free-throws, and went 3/5 from beyond the arc.

On to Jimmer. No one outside of the Mountain West considered him a premiere player, or much less even knew his name. They know it now. With no threes in regulation, he got his points grinding to the basket. Come second overtime, it was finally his turn to make his mark. Two break your ankles crossovers lead to two three-pointers at the bottom of the net before the defenders even know where the ball went. Icing the lead with blocks, steals, and free-throws, a 99-93 victory never tasted so sweet. 37 points ain't too bad, either. He couldn't have done it without the rest of the team, but Jimmer Fredette lead the Cougars to victory. He even landed the front pages of ESPN.com, CBSsports.com, and analyst after analyst can't stop talking about the boy from Glens Falls, NY. They all want him to be the next Stephen Curry and "March Darling". With a win tonight, he'll do it. His performance was so unforgettable, that when a player in another tourney game did really well, they said he "went Jimmer" on them. Finally the recognition he deserves. 

Kansas State is a really good team, but the Cougars have all the confidence in the world. They finally broke the curse and can play with that huge worry out the window. They also have the motivation that a win means not only the Sweet Sixteen, but the chance to play in Salt Lake City! That would be incredible...it's hard not to get ahead of myself! 2 seeds aren't indestructible, with Villanova already going down today to a number 10 St. Mary's. There's hardly been a game that hasn't been a close one. Whatever happens, this has been the best season in terms of wins (30), and most fans would say has been the funnest to watch. I'd have to agree. I LOVE this team! 

Some great articles on Jimmer and the game... 

 Florida Gators vs. BYU Cougars

Fredette More Dangerous than Wall

Fredette Not Conventional, Just 'Amazing'

And last but not least, a great picture slideshow courtesy of Jaren Wilkey.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly...

In Vegas, I experienced many things I either loved, hated, laughed at, or never thought I would experience. Here are some of the best...

1. The Buffet at the Bellagio. Mmmm baby. Crab legs, prime rib, steak, shrimp, sushi, etc. etc. for 20 bucks! Just let that sink in for a minute...it's OK to let your mmouth water a little. I would venture to say they lost money on me. We did manipulate it a little, going right before lunch ended. Paying the lunch price for dinner food is a little stroke of genius if I do say so myself. (Dinner price was $40!)

2. Dear TCU cheerleaders,

You are not, nor will you ever be the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. So please stop your deserate, pathetic attempt to dress like them. You're just making a fool of yourselves. I don't care if you live in the next city over, no one can come close to the DCC.

The REAL thing...Melissa Rycroft!

3. While waiting for the shuttle to the strip, a guy started talking to us about BYU. Here's roughly how the convo went:
"Oh yeah, you guys have that one guy who's really good...Herdeckie. Heard he dropped 45 last night."

"...Fredette?"

"Oh that's right, Herdette."

I will admit, that was pretty dang funny. I didn't know whether I should punch him in the face or die laughing. So, I took the high road and had a good laugh later on.

4. After our game against TCU on Thursday, it was UNLV vs. Utah. Though I would never do it aloud, I was secretly hoping Utah would...win. There, I said it! It would have been really nice not having to play UNLV, but unfortunately, Utah stunk up the whole court. It wasn't too bad at first, even UNLV wasn't playing that great. They just let it go at the end. Now on to this story:

We sat in the upper level on the side of a basket for this game, and there was hardly anyone around us. In front of us there was a UNLV couple with a son who was about 10, as well as another guy who was just by himself. A little before halftime some BYU guys came and sat in the row by us, and were hilarious! It was the typical flaunt your team without being a jerk, but no one really minded.

We left for a minute and when we came back up, security came right up to those guys and the power-hungry "leader" repeated "Let's go" to them over and over for "throwing things over the balcony". They didn't throw ANYTHING, and even the UNLV people by us stood up for them. There was absolutely no reasoning with them, and finally, they got kicked out. All the other Utah/UNLV fans (besides the ones right next to us) were chanting, "kick them out, kick them out!"

No sooner did they leave the arena, 4 college-age UNLV guys came and sat where they were and started bragging that they got them kicked out. They even asked the guy by himself if they saw what they did and how cool it was. I guess THEY threw something, then texted the security saying 4 guys in the BYU shirts just threw stuff off the balcony.

Using some profanities of his own, the guy went on to tell them how messed up that was, and that they wouldn't like that happening to them. I thought that was really nice.

Then the lady turned around and said. "It was you guys, wasn't it?! You threw a beer cup, and they don't even drink beer!"

I COULD NOT BELIEVE what they did, and didn't know people could be so dirtbag. Now I know for a fact that UNLV fans are dirty, rotten losers.

5. At the championship game between UNLV/SDSU, I could have easily been confused for an Aztec faithful. We sat in the row right behind some SDSU students who after staring at us and our shirts for a while finally said something.

Some of what they said to us:

"So...are you guys like, allowed to be here?" (At first I thought he meant at the game, since BYU wasn't playing in it.)

"Do you know what I mean? Cause you guys are always in the Vegas bowl and stuff, but it kinda contradicts everything if you know what I mean."

"So are you guys big-time gamblers? Since you're not in to the whole alcohol and prostitution thing."

"Really?! Cause in that show Big Love they opened a whole Mormon casino and all. Isn't that show pretty accurate?"

"So you don't do polygamy?"

*To his friend* "Dude I told you!"

So at first I thought they were just kidding about the whole thing...but then I realized they actually seemed pretty serious. We tried to answer the questions the best way we could, and hope we set them straight! Such as...we don't gamble either, and Big Love is a loser show that has nothing to do with us.

I would say I had quite the experiences. I came away with a greater hate towards UNLV and New Mexico, and a greater love for SDSU (at least until we play them next!).

Sorry so long, but hopefully you enjoyed! The Gators are now Cougar bait...

Happy March Madness everybody, where all good roads lead to Indy!!

Let the Madness Begin...

Just got back from Vegas and the Mountain West Conference Tournament yesterday and had a blast! It had definite highs and lows...
LOW: BYU losing to UNLV on their HOME COURT for crying out loud.
HIGH: New Mexico losing to San Diego State. SDSU then beat UNLV for the championship. I never thought I'd be such an Aztec fan!

I learned a few things that I really shouldn't be suprised about.

1. It doesn't matter what team you cheer for: If it's not BYU, that means you HATE BYU. It doesn't matter who your team is currently playing, you will do anti-BYU/Mormon cheers.
2. People will drop about $50 on beer alone for a game. At $6 a cup, it adds up pretty fast when you chug them like that. Geez.
3. Some people have absolutely NO conscience...*cough* UNLV. More on that later...
4. It is possible for New Mexico fans(Ok, one) to have class and admit their "player of the year" Darrington Hobson is a dirty, elbow-throwing player with a bad attitude. Snake, you are my hero.

He actually had a Jimmer jersey!!
5. More people than I thought know absolutely NOTHING about Mormons, even to the point of asking if we're even allowed to be in Vegas. Also a story for another post..

All in all, it sucked BYU had to play UNLV in the second round. Unfortunate luck of the draw. However, that will all be put to rest if they use their number 7 seed(Whoo! Not an 8!) and take it to the Florida Gators on Thursday in Oklahoma City at 10:20 AM our time.



I LOVE MARCH MADNESS, and it's hard to ignore the fact that if a Sweet 16 were to happen, BYU would play in SLC! Now that would be sweet. Just one game at a time...

A little venting: I CAN'T BELIEVE that New Mexico got a 3 seed! You've GOT to be kidding me. Yes, they beat us twice. But the difference of both games put together was 6 points. Yes, they're ranked ahead of us by a few spots. But I still don't see how that translates to four seeds higher. I DO NOT APPROVE. (Just incase they wanted my opinion.)

Colby Bryant

One of my roommates showed me this video the other day and I can't stop watching it! A great mix of awkwardness and humor makes me laugh throughout the whole thing. Hopefully I'll be a little better than this...



"Couldn't have said it better--without the--myself."

SUPER sized.

Eating at 5 Guys and McDonalds all in the same day may not have been the smartest idea I've ever had in my life, but it was delicious at the time! So my stomach hurt so bad the next day I could barely walk...just guessing that my fast food fix may have had something to do with that.

I feel like the past week I've eaten nothing but TONS of realllllly good food that may or may not be super healthy. I've been constantly been super full, yet there's always something else to eat! I think I have a problem. I just hope I'm getting it all out of my system and hopefully can get back to my ever-so-slighly healthier ways.

Tonight, I'm baking the stuffed shells and garlic bread my awesome mom made for me to take home after the Super Bowl. Can't wait! Speaking of the Super Bowl, I wasn't super bummed the Colts lost, it just would have been nice. It was sweet watching Austin Collie represent on the biggest stage in the world. And technically he shouldn't even be in the NFL yet!



It sucks a little, but the food was delish. Homemade salsa, guacamole, bleu cheese dip, chicken wings, shrimp, sushi (which I haven't had for years but loved it!), and strawberry shortcake!



One last thing. I played basketball a couple times last week for the first time in a long while and it really needed it! Yes, I almost died and my face was still red long after I was done playing, but there's nothing like some good bball. The first night I surprised myself by making most of my outside shots in the scrimmage! It's been so long I was half-expecting a lot of air balls. I just felt so good to be able to be super aggressive by getting steals and even blocking a shot or two! Love that feeling. Hopefully I'll play a little more!

Whoop Howdy!

*Guy motioning for me to roll down my window*
"Hey, the back of your car says Whoop Howdy!"
"Yeah..."
"I just wanted to say it to you!"

Well that was what happened to me at a recent stop light. And it kinda made my day ... as weird as that may be.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, the Whoop Howdy is still going strong! :)