According to Greg Wrubell's Twitter feed, combo guard Damarcus Harrison has committed to light up the MarriottCenter! A 6'6" guard out of South Carolina, Harrison was being offered scholarships by Clemson and Florida St. A quick watch of his YouTube highlights and you can tell this kid is an absolute athlete, something that BYU doesn't get too often...

According to Dick Harmon, defensive coordinator Jamie Hill has been fired, after scary first-half defensive performances during a 1-4 start.

In Hill's defense, it's hard to hold an opponent to the 10-points-or-less necessary for BYU's offense to outscore them... just sayin'.

"It’s never fun to be injured," Nelson said. "I’m getting it taken care of as soon as possible so I can start my recovery and be back to help the team in the future."

 
It was big news when BYU announced this week it had completed a home-and-home with the Texas Longhorns. It's rare that a big name comes to Provo. It's great for the fans, the players and the community. And great for exposure, right? Not if it's on The Mtn. And that's exactly it: there's NO WAY, NO WAY Texas agrees to play in Provo if nobody can see it. I think this is proof that BYU already has a TV deal inked and ready to go for independent football, and now they're just wondering what the heck to do with the other sports.

Any guesses on their TV deal?

When Mike Loyd told the SL Tribune a couple weeks ago that his dismissal from the BYU basketball team was due, in part, to off-the-court issues, I don't think anybody was surprised. Mike Loyd screamed hip-hop culture, a culture that definitely doesn't fit in at BYU, and sometimes doesn't fit in too well with the law.   

What we didn't know, and apparently what Dave Rose and BYU didn't know, was the extent to Loyd's run in with the law in 2009, including possession of joints and alcohol.

The SL Tribune today released an article stating Loyd's past legal trouble. Again, because it's BYU, we have to preface this by saying what Mike did in '09 were things that a vast majority of college students around the country do everyday. That's not excusing him, but just bringing up facts...

His legal troubles add up to at least 10 citations--7 of which come from speeding--no biggie, something we're all guilty of. But it's the others that are more serious, certainly at BYU. According to the article, hours after BYU lost to Wake Forest in Provo, Loyd was cited in South Jordan (south of SLC) for possession of a controlled substance (marijuana, according to court records) and unlawful possession of alcohol by a minor.

In a statement to the media, Rose said that neither "he nor his coaching staff were aware of the matters."

I don't know how it's possible that nobody at BYU knew about it, but if it's true, Loyd's "Houdini act" has to be one of the best in BYU sports history--rivaled only by Jim McMahon, who actually had the coaches' help (Edwards was notorious for keeping things "in-house"...) 

The news that came out today of Michael Loyd leaving BYU is really too bad. He showed SO MUCH promise late in the regular season and into the NCAA tournament--beginning with that explosion against New Mexico.The kid could absolutely light it up with his speed. Hate to see this happen...

The more frustrating part of this is the lack of news surrounding the reason--at least give us something to speculate on. We know for sure it wasn't his grades, at least according to the Greg Wrubell, who received that answer from BYU officials. And it most likely isn't an Honor Code violation. My guess is that it's as easy as Loyd wanting to play a certain position and BYU just having too many guys at whichever position it is--too bad he didn't want to play center, because heaven knows the Cougars need help in there;)

What are your thoughts on Flash Jr. leaving the team???

Greg Wrubell's insight on Loyd's departure

BYU's official release

Well, you wouldn't expect to hear HUGE news about the football team on a Friday night in April but here it is: HARVEY UNGA IS WITHDRAWING FROM BYU DUE TO AN HONOR CODE VIOLATION. In a rather non-ironic side note, BYU women's basketball player and Harvey's girlfriend of three years, Keilani Moeaki, is also withdrawing from school because of an honor code violation.

Harvey! C'mon, man!

AD Tom Holmoe announced yesterday that BYU has signed on a home-and-home with Oregon St, starting in September 2011 in Oregon, followed by a 2012 game in Provo - three months before the end of the world.

Needless to say, September 2011 is going to be one heck of a doomsday possibility with the Cougars playing road games against the Beavers, and, oh yeah, the Texas Longhorns. Yikes - that's a huge high-risk/high-reward month...

I applaud Bronco's willingness to play these type of teams anytime, anywhere. It shows he completely trusts his program, his players and his coaches. And unlike the other Broncos, who are afraid to play anybody outside of Boise, BYU will be better prepared to play in a BCS league...whenever that happens.  

What are your thoughts? Is 2011 shaping up to be too big a task for the Cougars?

I wasn't all that surprised by Brian Logan's candid answers today that, in his opinion, Jake Heaps is standing out already in the quarterback race. Why wasn't I surprised? I've been asking Logan since January who he thought has the best arm--power and accuracy--and he's said Heaps all along.

QB coach Brandon Doman is excited about this guy:

"Jake is just a young phenom. He's got a long way to go to be a college quarterback.  But just to be able to come out in this environment and be as successful as he's been is really unique.  He can drop back and launch the ball around the field, which the other two guys can't quite do it the way he does it. But they're still pretty adequate that way.  I would say every minute in recruiting was worth it."

Is it too early to pick a winner? Absolutely. Are Heaps and James Lark emerging as the two leaders in the derby? Yes. Will it be a fun competition to watch through the spring, summer and fall? I can't wait...and I apologize for all the rhetorical questions here...

Heaps Impresses Again Tuesday, Deseret News
Coaches like Heaps too, Deseret News

Welcome back to Round 2, BYU--it's been a while. Exhaling after what was the most electrifying opening day of an NCAA Tournament ever, we now look forward to the unexpectedly expected match up between the Cougars and Wildcats Saturday night. As fans, we asked for it and now we've got it. No looking back.

I must say, after watching BYU shoot lights out Thursday, BYU's chances of upending K-State are looking brighter. They are obviously comfortable shooting in that arena, shooting 49% from the field and 43% from the arc. Hold on, am I now expecting a two-game Tourney win streak from the Cougars after 7 straight losses? Not so fast. No. Uh uh. And there's a one-word answer as to why: REBOUNDING. Defensive rebounding to be more precise. I'll give Hartsock, Miles and Davies a break on the offensive side (well, scoring 99 points means you're making a heck of a lot of shots), but there were times Thursday when it looked like Florida's big men were doing rebounding drills in practice--which led to a 9-point lead in the first and a big comeback in the second for the Gators. Way too many second chance points. THE KEY TO SATURDAY IS REBOUNDING. If the Cougars can somehow control Dominique Sutton and Curtis Kelly and keep them off the offensive glass, I like BYU's chances--so do ESPN's Joe Lunardi, Doug Gottlieb and Jay Bilas. 

The reason: BYU's a better field goal shooting team (49% to 45), a better 3-point shooting team (42% to 35) and a much better free throw shooting team (78% to 66), and they match up very well in every position except at center. They have a small backcourt with guards measuring 6'0" (Pullen) and 6'1" (Clemente) and two forwards (Sutton and Kelly) maxing out at 6'6". KSU's center, Luis Colon, creates a problem at 6'10" but he's relatively ineffective at both ends. Having said that, K-State is extremely fast and very aggressive defensively--and very impatient offensively. Pullen and Clemente drive their offense, but turnovers and unwarranted shots seem to be a consistent issue. Stopping Clemente--KSU's primary threat--looks to be an IDEAL task for speedy and sneaky Jackson Emery, who we should see glued to Clemente all game.

The bottom line: This Cougar squad is so ready to prove themselves in the national spotlight and ease the pain of late-season losses to NM and UNLV. They also realize they'll be playing for a spot in Salt Lake City, in what would be a true home game. If Emery can shut down Clemente, and if Davies, Miles and Hartsock can minimize damage on the boards, BYU will win the game. If they can't, it could get out of hand really...fast.

2010 CONOCO MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP PAIRINGS
Wednesday, March 10
2 p.m.	First-round Game	No. 8 Wyoming vs. No. 9 Air Force
Thursday, March 11
Noon	Quarterfinal Game #1	No. 1 New Mexico vs. No. 8/No. 9 Winner
2:30 p.m.	Quarterfinal Game #2	No. 4 San Diego State vs. No. 5 Colorado State	/
6 p.m.	Quarterfinal Game #3	No. 2 BYU vs. No. 7 TCU
8:30 p.m.	Quarterfinal Game #4	No. 3 UNLV vs. No. 6 Utah	/
Friday, March 12
6 p.m.	Semifinal Game #1	Quarterfinal #1 and #2 Winners
8:30 p.m.	Semifinal Game #2	Quarterfinal #3 and #4 Winners
Saturday, March 13
4 p.m.	Championship Game

All times PST

Predictions after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Sure Jim Boylen is a passionate guy, but did you know he's also a jerk, a complete polar opposite to the classy Dave Rose? Well, if you didn't know this, look no further than Wednesday's post game spat with the Salt Lake Tribune's Gordon Monson:

Boylen: "Don't come here once every two years and ask those questions. I don't want to hear that from you."

"I can ask the questions," said Monson.

"Good," said Boylen. "I'm not answering it. Don't come here once every two years. I don't want to hear that from you."

Monson replied, "Coach, give me a break — show some class."

Said Boylen, "Yeah, nice of you to show up."

You may be wondering what the question was that angered Boylen so badly... "Coach, what was the reason for the offensive inefficiency?"

GIVE ME A BREAK BOILER BOYLEN. YOU'RE PATHETIC, AND THE REASON WHY YOUR TEAM IS PATHETIC. No wonder nobody shows up to your lousy games.

It's always nice to beat the Utes. And it's especially nice to crush the Utes at their place in the only game of the season when they've had more than a hundred fans in the seats. And to set a record for largest margin of victory is sweet. What's not sweet is that NM wrapped up the regular season conference title earlier this evening. But, what is sweet is the selection committee places a premium on winning a conference tournament (anybody remember Utah last year?), which may bode extremely well for BYU (or UNLV--ugh!@#@!$%)...

Anyway, in tonight's melee on The Hill, the Cougars simply destroyed the impossibly inconsistent Utes, 71-51. I wasn't expecting a blowout--I don't think anybody who's familiar with the rivalry (not so much in basketball) would expect such a thing--but it was simply that: a blowout. It was BEAutiful beating the morale of Boiler Boylen, my least favorite--er, make that second-least favorite coach in the MWC (Lobo-lover Steve Alford now owns the coveted spot).

If you're getting the vibe that I'm not too excited right now, you right! Why? Jimmer is sick. Some may argue he played only 19 minutes because BYU owned the game. Maybe. But in those 19 minutes he was 1-7 from the field and looked sluggish. My fingers are crossed Mono hasn't returned in the nick of time for tourney play--that would be worst-case scenario for the Cougars.

Having said that, I hope Brandon Davies' performance won't go unnoticed. BYU is so much better with an inside presence and that's exactly what he provided tonight--21 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes. Incredibly efficient. If he can make this a consistent effort BYU can go a long way in the tourney, because we've all seen the kind of team they are when the outside shots are falling.

And kudos again to MLJ for stepping up BIG TIME in place of Jimmer. 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals. My word, kid! I can't wait to see you the next two years...

For those of you who haven't yet heard, BYU jumped up to 13th in the AP Poll (one point ahead of Michigan State) and 11th in the Coaches' poll.

Good times.

With San Diego St. and New Mexico coming up this week, the Marriot Center will be absolutely rocking. And it should be.  I don't think it's too far of a stretch to say THIS WEEK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WEEK IN BYU BASKETBALL HISTORY.

Overstatement? No. Here's why: At 13th, if BYU wins these two games, they not only jump into the top 10, but they would seal their 4th-straight conference championship and improve considerably their RPI and SOS. Also, by beating both SDSU and the Lobos, their NCAA tourney fate would probably be sealed as a 5th-seed at worst, even with an unexpected loss to the Utes in SLC next week. 

Bracketology -
ESPN (Lundardi) - 4 seed (vs. Murray State in the East Region)
Blogging the Bracket - 3 seed (vs. Sam Houston State in the East Region)
CNNSI (Glockner) - 5 seed (vs. Rhode Island in the West Region)

Rankings -
AP - 13th
Coaches' - 11th
Pomeroy - 6th
RPI - 22nd
Sagarin - 9th

Football-talk is appropriate year round, but I'm finding it particularly appropriate--and exciting--today because my BYU tickets were ordered yesterday. Go Cougs!

Anyway, in the ongoing debate of Pac-10 expansion involving BYU and Utah, another SB Nation blog, DawgSports.com, a site dedicated to the Georgia Bulldogs, weighs in on why the ONLY route for conference expansion leads through Salt Lake and Provo. I'd highly recommend reading points #2 and #3, as they are very well thought out...

Read here...

I'm starting to wonder if this whole college basketball thing is getting too easy for Jimmer Fredette. If not, he could be a serious contender for a Naismith in 2011. But, who's looking that far into the future?

The Cougars crushed Colorado St, 92-70, behind Jimmer's 36 points. I don't need to say more, but... this season seems like just one warm up game after another as BYU continues to demolish teams. I'd be shocked, at this point, if they don't run the table heading into the conference tourney...

KSL's recap

Deseret News story

ESPN's insight

There's been rumors floating around for months about conference expansion, and BYU and Utah, etc... but, it all became increasingly interesting yesterday when the new Pac-10 Commish, Larry Scott, announced the conference has looking very, very seriously at expansion, and they've been in preliminary discussions with certain institutions.

And, in one of the most compelling articles to date, San Francisco Chronicle writer, Ray Ratto, says BYU and Utah are the only two that would make sense. Here are the highlights...

" In other words, the boat has set sail, and if the first port of call isn't Salt Lake City, well, we don't know our boats."

"Thus, [Larry] Scott was hired to change all that, and he hired [Kevin] Weiberg to hasten that change. And with so many elements in play at the same time, the idea of swallowing/absorbing/digesting Utah and BYU has never seemed more viable, or more urgent.

"We say Utah and BYU because they meet all the conference's stated criteria. Natural rivals, geographically desirable, academically compatible, and blah blah blah. The truth is, Utah and BYU are money generators, and on this side of the Rockies, they make the most sense. More, in any manner of thinking, than Nevada and Fresno State, or Colorado and Colorado State, or TCU and New Mexico, or any other candidates one can conjure.

"There are rumors that the two likeliest targets are Utah and Colorado, but it seems safe to say that Utah would be happier maintaining its rivalry with BYU than trying to create a new one."

ESPN'S Andy Katz agrees completely with Ratto - this via Twitter:

"Pac-10 flirting with expansion. I agree with Ray Ratto, BYU and Utah only way to go."

Other relevant links:

Big-10, Pac-10 looking to expand - The Inquisitor (Louisiana)
Pac-10 considering expansion - The Denver Post
Pac-10 thinking expansion too - Dallas Morning News
Pac-10 "very seriously" looking at expansion - The Seattle Times
Weighing Pac-10 expansion - Los Angeles Observer
Which schools should Pac-10 add... - Tucson Citizen

BYU Athletics has released the official list of 2010 Letter-of-Intent Signers. For more information check out VTF's signing day preview and the player photos and details after the jump...

Bronco insists on firm commitments - Deseret News
Cougars sign their deepest class ever- Deseret News
...signing class 'the fastest, most athletic' in school history - Salt Lake Tribune

Continue reading this post »

Game Preview - BYU Athletics

BYU must keep emotions in check - Daily Herald
BYU players will make pink work - Deseret News
Cougars look to bounce back - Daily Universe
Cougars, Utes to resume rivalry - Desert News
Tillie aims to enforce a win for Utes - Salt Lake Tribune
Utes can finally focus on Cougars - Deseret News
Utes, Cougars go back and forth in rivalry - Salt Lake Tribune

Remember when this was actually a game? Hard to call it a rivalry when the other team is 10-10.  Still, it's always exciting.  GO COUGARS!!!

Ute stats after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

You wouldn't think after so many wins over the last four years, the recruiting class that has followed Jake Heaps to Provo and a future that looks spectacularly bright that Bronco would be so paranoid. Well, there's word from scout.com that BYU will pull their scholarship offer to Kona Schwenke if he decides to visit Notre Dame this weekend for a recruiting trip. Hmmm...

Schwenke confirmed to Bronco that he is 100 percent committed to the Cougars, and would not change his mind, but would take the trip to to only visit some friends on the team. But, it looks like Bronco doesn't want to believe him. Kona and his family will be flying to South Bend, and it looks like he'll now be deciding to play for either the Irish or Washington Huskies.

I'd recommend reading the entire story at the link above. It's beyond entertaining.

My problem is this: you're recruiting this superb talent, who is committed to playing for you, and even though he is still a recruit you aren't going to allow him to fly to South Bend--interesting. I wonder if this is the reason Drew Phillips decided to not fly to Cincinnatti and South Bend this weekend as well.