By DARREN WILCOX
Saturday two BYU basketball teams will go to war with our in-state rivals, the dreaded Utes. Lions, and tigers and Utes, oh my.
On paper, neither game appears to be competitive. The Utah men’s team is ranked No. 3 in the nation, has a perfect 12-0 record on the season and has beaten the Cougars in five straight, dating back to 1995. Utah is eighth in the nation in scoring, averaging 74 points per game.
The Utes are first in scoring defense, giving up a paltry 56.3 points per game. They shoot 49.6 percent from the floor and hold their opponent to an average 36.2 percent. Utah is first in rebound margin, outrebounding their opponents by an average of 15.9 rebounds per game.
By contrast, the BYU men average 62.8 points per game and give up an average of 70.1 points. The Cougars shoot 38 percent from the floor compared to an average 43.8 percent for their opponent. They average 18 turnovers per game, but only force an average of 15. BYU has been outscored 463-383 in the first half this season, which translates out to a six -point advantage for BYU’s opponent going into halftime. On paper it looks bleak.
But games are not played on paper.
They are played on basketball courts, specifically our basketball court in the men’s case Saturday. However, the Marriott Center has not been the raucous, fan-crazed, pro-BYU environment it once was. More people turn out for the Tuesday forums than appear at the BYU basketball games. You can attend a women’s game, sit up near the exits and still hear the point guard crack her knuckles at center court.
My question remains: Why?
I admit, I have not attended every men’s and women’s basketball game this season. I am a face-painter. But, I do have pride in my school and pride in my teams. For this reason, it is time to step up and be counted. It’s time to get fired up.
Utah is coming Saturday night, and they will expect to fill the Marriott Center with a partisan crowd to make them feel at home. Hey, they did it at the football game this year and look what happened. The listed attendence at the BYU-Utah game at the Marriott Center last season was 20,105. How many of those were Ute fans? I don’t know, but I’m sure it was more than 40 percent.
So we, as loyal BYU fans, need to put aside the past and look to the future. Do we really want our team to feel like the road team Saturday? Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?
Now for the women’s team. The women have a better record than they did after 12 games last year. They are scoring more and play a good up-tempo game. Their games are not boring. My opinion is that they will give Utah a run for their money Saturday.
I have said all year that Kari Gallup is a scorer. What I have neglected to mention is her ability to find her teammates and get them the ball. Gallup’s scoring is down this season, but she leads the team in assists. This season she doesn’t need to score 30 points a game, because other players are stepping up.
Back to the rivalry. I’m not saying we hate the Ute fans. I’m not condoning any sort of violence in the stands. What I am saying is regardless of what part of the world we hail from, we are now part of a large family of blue and white. Our brothers and sisters need our support and they deserve our respect.
It’s time for action. It’s time to get crazy. It’s time to show our true colors. It’s time to beat Utah!
