Satisfied

What would BYU have to do in the tournament in order to not leave you with a sour taste in your mouth? Does a loss in the Sweet 16 leave you feeling OK about the year or does it feel like a huge let down. Still 2 wins in the tournament is a huge improvement, but I think it would leave most of us feeling let down.

It's hard to say that I'd be totally devastated getting to the sweet 16 and losing, given our tournament record the last 20 years, but with the way this season has gone, I really think anything less than elite 8 is a big let down.

I would prefer elite 8, but I'm happy to have witnessed this season regardless of what happens.

kfilly20 wrote:
I would prefer elite 8, but I'm happy to have witnessed this season regardless of what happens.

amen... it's all gravy

I'm in the gravy camp.

I'm in the "anything short of an Elite Eight" crowd. It will be a HUGE letdown if we don't get at least that far.

I want it all! And I don't think I am being unrealistic. This team is so good that unless there is a let by our team, we can beat anyone. Now I won't be too disappointed if we lose in the finals, but this team is one of the very few that has the talent, leadership, and ability to take the title so if we don't make it to the title game, I would expect the team that beat us to have played out of this world (like shooting 75% or something like that).

I would have to say I'd be a little disappointed if we didn't at least make it to the elite 8. All of those nay-sayers would be having a field day if we dropped out before then.



I'd really like to see the Cougars win this upcoming tournament MTN tournament first. And... Beat New Mexico!

In order for BYU to get the national love and respect that we all want, BYU needs to get to the Sweet 16 minimum, and Elite 8. Anything short of that is a letdown and another reason to use the BYU tourney history against them. Time to create some new history and traditions. Deep tourney runs.

Lawboy wrote:
In order for BYU to get the national love and respect that we all want, BYU needs to get to the Sweet 16 minimum, and Elite 8. Anything short of that is a letdown and another reason to use the BYU tourney history against them. Time to create some new history and traditions. Deep tourney runs.

Agreed. I'll be disappointed with anything short of a Final Four run. My level of disappointment will be determined based on how short of that goal the Cougs fall.

I agree (Elite Eight at least) and want to see us go down fighting whenever (if ever) we go down. I'd feel awful if we bow out (in any round) on a horrible performance by Jimmer and the supporting cast. If we play well with good effort and still get beat--I'll feel a bit better.

Lawboy wrote:
In order for BYU to get the national love and respect that we all want, BYU needs to get to the Sweet 16 minimum, and Elite 8. Anything short of that is a letdown and another reason to use the BYU tourney history against them. Time to create some new history and traditions. Deep tourney runs.

Agreed. Last year's getting over the 1st round hump only whets my appetite for a deeper run this season. Anything less than a sweet 16 finish would be disappointing. I really expect this team to make it to the elite 8, depending on match ups, and I think they have what it takes to get to the final 4. Only time will tell, but it has been a fantabulous season so far.



I hope some of the premier LDS recruits are taking notice and will seriously consider BYU after this season and that BYU gives them that reason to want to take a hard look at attending BYU.

I will be disapointed if/when they lose. I think the team will be too. Wouldn't it be cool if by some miracle they did win the NC game? How would that be to rub that in the utes face since that team with Andre miller got beat in the finals :)

Considering I've got my Anaheim Regional tix in hand, I will be sorely disappointed if Jimmer and Co. don't make it to the Sweet 16. The joy of getting to the Elite 8 is only icing on the cake.

Sweet 16 or better. If they lose before then or lose a game due to a poor performance instead of being outmanned, like Magnus said, I will be dissapointed. I think they have the potential for Final Four and am not as worried about the longer athletic teams that gave byu trouble in the past. It seems that they have improved drastically in this regard (see rebounding margin and block margin in SDSU game). Really, the only team that actually makes me nervous is St. Johns. I've seen some of their games and it seems like each player is at least 6'6" and long instead of just a couple of guys like most teams in the country.

craigoscarson wrote:

I would prefer elite 8, but I'm happy to have witnessed this season regardless of what happens.

amen... it's all gravy

Hawkwing didn't quote this one but did sign up to the gravy camp. I too am signing up.



Some may feel this comment is still premature - and if we lose one of our next three games, it may or may not be, but I am going to say it anyway:



This is the best basketball team BYU has ever had. There I said it. So, no matter what quirk of fate might cause a disappoinment - and any time BYU loses I am disappointed, I am happy to have witnessed this season regardless of the outcome.



Don't get me wrong - I don't want it to end and do believe that if BYU gets hot, stays healthy, the refs don't tilt too much against us, match-ups are ok, some other team does not get even hotter, we get the appropriate #1 seed, we get the most local settings possible, and we get a little bit lucky - BYU could win it all. From what I have seen of other teams, BYU is ranked right where they deserve to be now.



My next bold statement: BYU is absolutley one of the best 8 teams in the country. It is a challenge to say just which of those 8 is the best and how they match up.



My next bold statement: Any of the Top 25 and a handful of other teams is capable of beating any other team on any given day on a neutral court if they get hot and the other team does not. And the tournament is single elimination. So stuff happens. Let's hope stuff does not happen to BYU this magical season.



If you are wondering why I did not say Jimmer is the best college basketball player BYU has ever had - it is still a little to early for me to say that. it is also to early to rule that out. And NBA comparisons - 15 to 30 years too early to tell because Ainge is still making noise.

sweet sixteen for me. If we can't make it there with a 1 or two seed then it would be very disappointing, especially with Jimmer.



Going further is not easy for any good team, so the sting of losing after that is not as bad. I would say though that my personal expectations and hopes are for an elite eight'final four appearance. That would be amazing.

At the beginning of the season I would have said making it to the Sweet 16, but now with the potential to be a 1 seed I would say at least the Elite 8.

If we lose again this year I'll be super bummed because I think that we really can win them all - which is why I'm just trying to smile now and enjoy the ride.... 8)

One of the reasons basketball is so exciting is because anyone can beat anyone. UNM beat us because they played like we did against SDSU. There are nights when the 6th guy on a given team simply can't miss.



There are no unbeaten teams because everyone loses at some point. And in the tournament, even if we would have beat a team 19/20 times, game 20 is the deciding one.



I'm a little concerned about maintaining our fast pace of play for the entire tournament as well as our durability given our spate of recent injuries but we are good enough to win the whole thing. The Sheer ODDS of doing so, however, are highly unlikely. Go Cougs. Win the whole thing, but everything they do beyond round 2 is just gravy for me.