Maybe it's because for me the very thought of ever again losing to BYU in basketball has become intolerable. Before the Big Game last night I felt dread akin to, well, what I felt a couple of years ago on the eve of the Sweet 16 game against West Virginia--every intangible advantage seemed to be lined up in the (almost evenly matched) opponent's favor, with so much to lose AND to gain from the outcome of The Game.

A month ago, after the Utes went into the Marriott Center and stuck it to ascendant BYU, in the wake of the Cougars' impressive wire-to-wire win at UNLV, I remarked that the talent gap between Althoff/Jensen/Mottola/Colbert/Killion/Harvey and Wesley/Leidey/Christensen/Cooper/Montague/Rivers was perhaps indistinguishable. I concluded that the Utes won at BYU because they had the best Coach. A number of posters, mostly BYU adherants, responded with derision.

Well, with Mottola out, I submit that BYU had nothing to fear from the Utes' talent. The vaunted home court advantage, which was a factor weighing heaviliy in BYU's favor last month, this time seemed perversely to ratchet up the psychological pressure on the Utes. It is well known that an unbeaten streak tends artificially to raise the stakes for the streak-holder as the streak progresses. I was haunted by the daunting aspect of the number "50" after the Utes vanquished San Diego State. BYU had nine days to prepare for the Big Game and the Utes two. The Utes had been unable to match BYU's feat at UNLV.

Still lingering from the buildup to the Game in Provo was the memory of press reports of Juddy feeding Cleveland Majerus' secrets and tendencies. Judkins' defection had seemed to reenergize enthusiasm for BYU basketball, and even his Ute friends have predicted resulting dire consequences for Ute basketball and a changing of the guard in the Rivalry. The need to dampen such rhetoric and its potentially harmful effects upon local recruiting efforts further increased pressure on the Utes. The ado over Majerus' purported refusal to shake Juddy's hand after the Game in Provo aggravated this dimension of the Rivalry.

After last night I say these Utes--including their peerless Coach--are making as proud as ever before. If the Utes win the inaugural MWC race (I now predict they will; knock on wood)--after all they have endured including injuries to Althoff, Mottola, and Whiting, and strife associated with the forced departure of Judkins, who undeniably is beloved by the Ute players--this will have been one of Majerus' best coaching efforts. And after overcoming so much adversity, if the Utes can enter the NCAA playoffs physically intact, with their two best players possessing Championship Game experience, well . . . I'm getting ahead of myself.

Well Seattle, last night I was in the Outback in Bellevue with my 10 year old daughter waiting for a table. MSU was playing somebody and all I could think about was the Utah/BYU game was underway. Just as they called my name for a table, ESPN rolled the top 25 scoreboard...it was BYU 19 Utah 11! Goooodddd! How the hell was I supposed to eat dinner now? But as I sat there with menu in hand, I thought to myself, self, there is no way that Majerus and this Utah team is going to loose to the damn Cougs at home. Someone else will come in and eventually end the streak, but, it won't be the Cougs....it is just not allowed in the grand scheme of the universe. So I ate my ribs with my daughter and even had desert. Drove home below the speed limit, called up ESPN on the internet, and confirmed my feelings were correct. All is well with the universe!

Happy Trails

SeaUte

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