Road trips down here in the Valley

Catching the games down here at the local alumni chapter watch parties has been a blast lately, but I am really itching to head over to Tempe for our Big 12 matchups this season. Driving up the I-10 is way easier than flying back to Provo every weekend, and the turnout from local Cougar fans keeps getting bigger. Seeing how Kevin Young has guys running the floor with this much pace makes watching on the big screens fun, but being in the arena is definitely the goal.

Anyone else in Arizona planning to make the short drive for the conference games this year?

Watch parties are fun until the defense decides to take the last ten minutes off and gives you a minor stroke. Driving down the I-10 sounds a lot better than paying airline prices, but I still expect us to somehow blow a twenty point lead with four minutes left. Kevin Young has the offense looking great, but 30 years of this fandom tells me we will find a way to make it stressful.

That I-10 drive is painless compared to dealing with SLC airport security on a Friday afternoon. Looking at the efficiency metrics under KY, our offensive rating spike is legit because we are pushing transition pace up to 18 seconds per possession. When you combine that with a sub-40 percent defensive effective field goal rate allowed on the road, traveling to watch them live is worth every minute of the commute.