By Eric Zeugschmidt
While basketball coach Dave Rose has returned the program to its winning ways, his magic touch, like that of those who came before him, seems to run dry when the calendar flips to March.
Simply put, BYU basketball and March Madness success do not go hand-in-hand.
Today?s game against Texas A&M will mark the 27th Cougar showing in the NCAA tournament. Out of the last 26 trips to the tournament, they have made it to the second round only five times, the last time being in the 1992-93 season when BYU beat SMU in the first round before losing to Kansas in the second.
The Cougars? best tournament finish was in 1981 when the team secured a No. 3 seed and went as far as the Elite Eight. Under head coach Frank Arnold, and a star-studded roster including Danny Ainge, Greg Kite and Fred Roberts, who all later went on to play in the NBA, this team beat UCLA, then used a last-second coast-to-coast drive and layup by Ainge to stun Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen. BYU was finally knocked off by No. 1 seed Virginia, which was led by Naismith College Player of the Year Ralph Sampson.
The question Cougar fans are asking, then, is why? Why can?t the team seem to get past the first round?
One reason may have something to do with recruiting.
The Cougars are generally able to recruit good players who fit into their system, but, come tournament time, BYU usually doesn?t have the players to compete with the Blake Griffins and Tyler Hansbroughs of the basketball world.
Another reason may have to do with BYU?s resistance to playing on Sunday. This affects the way the selection committee can seed the team, as well as where they will play. Ironically, the Cougars received the same seed and are matched up against the same team they played in last year?s first round.
?It is just kind of funny that we are playing the same team as last year,? said BYU guard Jimmer Fredette on Selection Sunday. ?There?s no disappointment at all. It is extremely exciting to just be in the tournament, no matter whom we are playing against. It?s still a great atmosphere. Obviously, they beat us last year. We would definitely like to beat them. But they are an extremely tough team.?
Regardless of their opponent, the Cougars are focused on getting a first-round win for the first time in 16 years, even if it means they?ll likely receive a matchup with No. 1 seed UConn as a reward.