If You Listen To Dave Rose

He said that playing a tough schedule results in losses and losses destroy player confidence. Further, good opposing coaches identify your weaknesses, exploit them, and thus create the template for later opponents to use to the extent they have the players to do it.



That is where BYU basketball finds itself right now - zip confidence for several key players.



This was never destined to be a great team.



Past football and basketball teams built confidence and swagger by beating up on lesser opponents and then when they occasionally play a good team, their is no blue print for the opposing team to follow and BYU has the swagger and confidence to pull of an occasional surprise. NCAA tournaments and Bowl games usually exposed those teams, but even then Cinderella occasionally went to the ball.



We have forgotten who we are - both sports.



We are still blessed with a lot of close games vs very good opponents in the new scheduling paradigm. But we lose our share.

I think BYU played too many games away from the Marriott Center this year. With such a young team, they needed home games to build confidence and learn how to win. That didn't happen, and now the team has no identity.

Further evidence of what belonging to a Big 5 conference would bring for both bball and Fball. Beat down confidence, weaknesses exploited, team scouted, lesser teams beating us.

This team is better than its record and better than its recent record.

Bib, if I get you and your steady diatribe about over--scheduling, you are right on. I agree.

This is classic overscheduling and for what???? There is no football BCS mandate to take big risks. I don't know why TH and DR overscheduled. But they have just about shot this team in the foot. I don't even care if "all these great teams are coming back to Provo next year". Big freakin whup. Half of them will beat BYU in Provo regardless. So, this season has been sacrificed. I hope all you panderes to get big teams into Provo are lving out your wlldest BYU fantasies of being able to play with the "Big Boys". i hope you are loving this season. The life has practically been sucked out of this team. The only thing we lack in playing all these big teams are injuries (like in football). This team is one or more losses away from meltdown and reset.

In basketball, being in a big 5 conference, could allow us to schedule more home games, and not have to travel as much or play as tough a schedule. So it might be just the opposite. We'd have a chance to build confidence in the non-conference season.

SpiffCoug wrote:
In basketball, being in a big 5 conference, could allow us to schedule more home games, and not have to travel as much or play as tough a schedule. So it might be just the opposite. We'd have a chance to build confidence in the non-conference season.

Fair point. BYU used to build ALOT of confidence and not burn as much energy or emotion taking down cupcakes. But when we struggle to win the ninth best conference.....

SpiffCoug wrote:
In basketball, being in a big 5 conference, could allow us to schedule more home games, and not have to travel as much or play as tough a schedule. So it might be just the opposite. We'd have a chance to build confidence in the non-conference season.

The Utes have gone to the extreme to do this. And when they played their first challenging opponent, BSU beat them, but only by 2.



Then more cake and when they played BYU they played with swagger. That loss took a lot out of this team since BYU no longer owns the Utes.



The Utes will take some lumps in PAC, but even if they go .500, they will get to 20 wins.

SpiffCoug wrote:
I think BYU played too many games away from the Marriott Center this year. With such a young team, they needed home games to build confidence and learn how to win. That didn't happen, and now the team has no identity.

This is a big part of the over scheduling in both sports.

Neither sport is going to go anywhere loading up the schedule. We don't have the horses. Schedule mediocre teams and one or two top 50 programs.



MC was on fire at the beginning of the season. He's a shadow of what he was. Haws' shooting is down, he's forcing even more shots. LMU should have been a pick me up game, but we came out flat.



Let's hope they rebound.



In the future, two less powerhouses and two more cupcakes to start the season would do us a world of good.



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