BYU Cougars

BYU basketball: 3 things left to enjoy in the Cougars' season

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:18 p.m. ET

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With another subpar road game performance losing to Santa Clara, BYU basketball’s at large tourney dreams just got a rude awakening. So what to look forward to now?

Pop. Fizzle. Crack. Whiff. Snap. Pick your onomatopoeia, but it all means that BYU basketball’s NCAA at large hopes just dried up. As they dropped the game vs Santa Clara Thursday night, they sure weren’t giving a lot of sizzle, whoosh, or swish.

The terrible 3-point shooting from early in the season returned. Worse, inconsistency defending the perimeter reared it’s ugly head. Add to that some uncharacteristic turnovers, and BYU’s doom was inevitable. The Cougars just haven’t found out how to win on the road this year, and at this point, it seems unlikely that they will.

So what’s left? If you’re unwilling to pretend you were never much of a fan in the first place, anyway, and hide in your room playing Minesweeper, it’s time to grasp at new things to look forward to through the rest of the season. Here are three that you can latch onto while you wait for the sting to subside.

Improvement

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

The issue with the Cougars has never been about the talent, just the teamwork. Youthful frailty has dogged BYU basketball this season, and has not been easily shaken off. But there will still be moments where suddenly, the Cougars look good.

Alley-oops, Haws magic passes, slick offensive sets, and transition buckets. And don’t forget the swat. If these can be combined with some elbow grease and the underdog’s chip, they may just get better. There is still time to gather momentum for next season, when all the main players will be back after a full offseason together. Chemistry kinks and defensive foibles can be slowly ironed out.

The possibility of magical home games

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

It’s true that the Cougars haven’t been world beaters on the road. But at home, with the friendly confines of the Marriott Center surrounding them, BYU basketball is still a draw.

With a nice string of home games ahead, Dave Rose has a chance to get his 300th win. It’s a mark he’ll reach considerably faster than the only other coach in BYU history to reach those heights, Hall of Famer Stan Watts. Watching the landmark win for the Cougar coach is a must.

They also still have yet to host St Mary’s, and they will be full of fire to get one back from the Gaels. Those games are always fun. But BYU fans should be salivating at the chance to take on (likely soon to be) No. 1 Gonzaga.

Imagine for a moment that they take down the Zags at home. If the Cougars manage to put a halt to the Bulldogs’ undefeated season, and knock off a top ranked team for the first time in school history, the Marriott Center will be a rocking madhouse the like not seen since Jimmer and Jackson took down San Diego State six years ago.

Even with all the bitter that fans have swallowed in the up and down season, that would go a long way to making it sweet. Yes, there’s also a chance the Cougars get flattened. But being a fan means ignoring that in favor of the hope for golden days.

Tournament season

The chances are small. But there’s still a shot for the young BYU basketball squad to get hot and stun teams in Vegas. Winning a conference tournament for the first time since 2001 would be the balm that heals all this team’s wounds.

But even failing that, the NIT is almost certain for BYU basketball. Now, nobody is running around, waving their arms with glee at hosting an NIT game. Not when March’s real prize is the NCAAs. But there are some nice things about the nation’s second best postseason tournament.

The atmosphere in the Marriott Center (once it warms up a bit) is great. There are no more listless season ticket holders staring blankly at the court, only offering the occasional clap. The lower bowl is full, tightly knit, and loud.

Every team the Cougars play is a good team, often with 20+ wins on the season, but like the Cougars, just couldn’t put the consistency together.  These make for closely contested, high skill games the local fan doesn’t have to travel to enjoy.

And finally, it’s just more BYU basketball. And despite pessimism born of inflated expectations being abruptly punctured, that is always an entertaining thing to watch.

Keep watching, true blue fans.

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