HB Arnett’s

HB Arnett’s

801 372 - 0819

1391 West 800 South – Orem, Utah 84058

Vol. 34, Issue 31 –March 3, 2014

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Hit or Hold…

Play Your Own Hand and Hopes for BYU’s Post Season Play

Below are two different perspectives on the potential post season play for BYU basketball. Think of it as blackjack or bust! More than likely one of these perspectives will describe the fortunes of BYU basketball in the coming week. You pick which one also fits your perspective and prognostication for post season play for Dave Rose and his team.

BYU on a Roll Heading into Post Season Play

BYU is the hottest basketball team in the West Coast Conference. Anyway you cut it, the numbers don’t lie.

The Cougars have won their last four games, including a 78-70 win over San Diego on the road last week. Expand the schedule and BYU is 8-1 in their last 9 league contests and 13-3 in their last 16 games. That’s what the NCAA selection committee is looking for. They want teams playing their best basketball at the end of the season.

Factor in that fact that after getting off to an awful league debut in December and losing at LMU and Pepperdine, BYU has righted the ship. Not only have they righted the ship, they now own the boat beating the other top 3 teams in the upper echelon of the league standings.

The Cougars finished the season with a 5-1 record against Gonzaga, San Francisco and St. Mary’s. Dave Rose’s team is playing its best basketball right now. BYU as a team is hot. Even better, so is Matt Carlino.

Tyler Haws is Tyler Haws. He is Player of the Year in the league. The votes aren’t in yet, but the ball went in the net enough times for Haws that anything less than Player of the Year would be a travesty.

Dave Rose may have turned in his best coaching performance of his BYU tenure. All he did was pull all the right strings with his players and personnel to get the Cougars playing winning basketball.

This team’s resume screams NCAA tournament. They played one of the toughest schedules in the country and when the going in the league got tough early on, BYU and Rose got going in the right direction.

Barring a first round WCC upset by either Portland or LMU on Saturday against BYU in Las Vegas, this team will be dancing and making noise in the NCAA’s big dance.

I Hate to NIT Pick, but That’s Probably BYU’s Post Season Destination Again This Year

Yeah, I would love to see BYU selected to the NCAA post season big dance this year, but I’m not counting on it.

Sure there have been many bracketologists that say BYU is in the tournament, but realistically and historically, the cards are stacked against the Cougars, in my opinion.

Here’s why.

Despite some nice wins early in the year against teams that will make the tournament and despite playing an extremely tough schedule, it won’t be good enough to overcome the bad losses to teams like Pepperdine, LMU, Portland and Pacific.

And if you are counting on BYU making a run beginning this week in the WCC tournament, don’t. Dave Rose has never won a conference post season tournament since becoming head coach at BYU. And he had teams that were better than this current Cougar team, and still couldn’t bring home the automatic bid.

Even if the Cougars win a couple of games this coming week, you can always count on some upsets in other conference tournaments that will force the NCAA to take teams that win their conference tournaments and take away the few spots currently available for the Cougars.

There are some broadcasters who have said that BYU is a team that nobody wants to face in tourney action. That might be, but I can think of four teams right now that would love to face BYU this coming week. How about San Francisco, San Diego, St. Mary’s and Gonzaga?

If you don’t think that any of those teams can’t beat BYU in Las Vegas, you haven’t been paying close attention. All of those teams have figured out that if you take away BYU’s open court game, they are just an average WCC team that is vulnerable to the other average WCC teams.

Now if you are counting cards, then you have to count Matt Carlino if you have aspirations of BYU getting the automatic bid and a sure path to the NCAA tournament.

Tyler Haws is going to get his points. And in the process he is going to be battered, bruised, held, taken down and thrown down, but he will get his points.

It is fitting that the tournament will be held in Las Vegas because BYU’s post play and production is a crap shoot. Nobody knows what will happen there.

Carlino is the hole card. If he is hot outside for three straight games, BYU has a chance to break Rose’s record of never winning a post season tournament title.

I’m not betting on it. BYU’s post season league history and odds against the house and hosing of post season officiating just isn’t worth the risk.

FOOTBALL IN FOR SPRING TUNE UP

Bronco Mendenhall has his BYU football team in the shop beginning this week for its annual spring tune up, better known as Spring Football.

Offensively, the engine that drives the go hard, go fast machine is still Taysom Hill. Before we can get a good gauge on his progress BYU coaches are still waiting on some key parts that won’t be delivered until fall.

Other than Nick Kurtz, the juco wide receiver from San Diego, the other future go to guys that are needed for explosiveness and spreading the field, won’t be available until August.

A realistic assessment of Hill’s improvement as a passer really can’t be determined until he has a full complement of play making receivers. That won’t occur until a few months from now.

When it comes to the offensive line play of BYU, a complete overhaul is needed. Whether that involves a new block or new gaskets or extensive tune-ups should show itself this spring.

New parts and players will also have to step up on the defensive line and at linebacker for Bronco Mendenhall and his defense.

The bottom line is that this spring shouldn’t show anything spectacularly different offensively because the play makers BYU and Taysom Hill need are not going to show up until fall camp.

Don’t look for BYU to use Jamaal Williams much this spring. He is a proven part of the engine. Hill will throw plenty, but he won’t be running much either and he definitely won’t be allowed to take any hits.

We will have a better feel for spring football after this first week of spring drills and break down the action beginning with the next issue.

Volleyball Continues its Dominating Play

BYU Men’s volleyball team swept both No. 8 USC and No. 4 Pepperdine in three sets last week in Provo.

With the win, BYU (12-3, 12-1 MPSF) extends its winning streak to six games and now is in sole possession of first place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation standings.

Is Too Much TV Bad for Your Health?

Not if you are a BYU basketball fan and an aficionado of hoops in general and the West Coast Conference in particular.

If you are looking for television that features drama, revenge, rematches and head scratching officiating, then stay tuned to your TV this coming week.

The WCC Men’s and Women’s Basketball tournament will kick off on Thursday and runs through the following Tuesday.

If you’re counting, that will mean 18 games, all available on broadcast outlets that you know and can find.

If you are reading this what you really want to know is when does BYU play and where can I watch the Cougars play.

Glad you asked.

Here is the WCC tournament schedule and television plans for both the Cougar Men and Women:

BYU Women’s Bracket

Friday, March 7, BYU Women vs. either Santa Clara or Pepperdine, 3:00 pm MST…TV: BYUtv…If BYU wins this game then,

Monday, March 10, BYU Women vs. either Pacific or Portland, 3:00 pm MDT…TV: BYUtv…If BYU wins this semi-final game they will advance to the championship on,

Tuesday, March 11, BYU vs. most likely Gonzaga, 2:00 pm MDT…TV: ESPNU. The winner will earn the WCC automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

BYU Men’s Bracket

Saturday, March 8, BYU Men vs. either Portland or Loyola Marymount, 3:00 pm MST…TV: BYUtv…If BYU wins this game then,

Monday, March 10, BYU Men vs. San Francisco or San Diego. Game start will be determined according to matchups that TV dictates for getting the best viewership. Start time will be either 7:00 pm or 9:00 pm MDT. If it is the early start time the game will be televised by ESPN. If the game is the late start time, the contest will be aired live by ESPN2…If BYU wins this game then,

Tuesday, March 11, BYU vs. most likely Gonzaga, 7:00 PM MDT…TV: ESPN. The winner will earn the WCC automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

If you still need to watch more television then Click Here for complete WCC post season men’s and women’s tournament pairings, brackets and television and viewing options.

To prepare for this much TV viewing, you may want to try a few days of Prep Peeping in order to get your eyes in shape.

You can get a look at BYU basketball signees and future signees (verbal commits) as the Utah State Basketball 4-A and 5-A tournaments begin this week.

These games will all be streamed live via watchit.deseretnews.com.

Monday 3/3/14

11:10 AM MST 4A Boys Basketball: Orem vs Box Elder Utah High School State Tournament 3/3/14 (Dalton Nixon –Orem HS)

7:30 PM MST 4A Boys Basketball: Bountiful vs Provo Utah High School State Tournament 3/3/14 (Zac Zeljaas – Bountiful HS)

Tuesday 3/4/14

11:10 AM MST 5A Boys Basketball: Lone Peak vs Syracuse Utah High School State Tournament 3/4/14 (TJ Haws and Frank Jackson – Lone Peak HS)

4:10 PM MST 5A Boys Basketball: Viewmont vs American Fork Utah High School State Tournament 3/4/14 (Ryan Andrus and Brendan Bailey – American Fork HS)

More BYU Television Options

Baseball

BYU vs. Utah

Tuesday, March 4 at Provo

First Pitch: 6:00 pm MST