You thought you could break up with BYU basketball. Suffering through the Cougars’ second-half capitulation against Ole Miss was the straw that broke the camel’s back. You said the two of you were through.
But look how quickly you’ve come back, as evidenced by you clicking your way to this article.
The truth is, you’ll never be done with Cougar basketball. You’ve already invested too much of yourself into the relationship by attending games, arguing with other teams’ fans and religiously checking bracketology projections every day from January through early March. Even Selena Gomez understands the situation.
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You can try and will yourself into not thinking about BYU basketball anymore, but you won’t be able to completely escape the images of Tuesday night’s game. It’s like telling yourself to not think about pink elephants — it just isn’t effective. But if you tell yourself to not think about pink elephants by instead thinking about how Jimmer torched Kawhi Leonard and the Aztecs a few years ago, you take the first step toward healing your current heartbreak. It’s time to take a therapeutic look on the bright side of things.
Silver lining No. 1: Hey, remember the 2012 tournament play–in game?
The Rebels may have come back from 17 points Tuesday night, but the Cougars came back from 25 down against Iona in the same exact situation three years ago. Noah Hartsock and Brandon Davies combined for 41 points to beat the mighty Gaels in the largest comeback in NCAA basketball history. What a win.
Silver Lining No. 2: Speaking of great NCAA Tournament moments, do you remember when Danny Ainge beat Notre Dame to advance to the Elite Eight in 1981?
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Silver Lining No. 3: You’ve gotta believe that the recently announced Marriott Center Annex is really going to push the program over the hump.
Believe me when I say that this is going to be an impressive building. We’re talking several practice courts, a strength and conditioning center, team meeting rooms and a Cougar basketball hall of fame. Sweet Sixteen, here we come.
Silver Lining No. 4: Three words: T.J. Haws.
Tyler Haws’ senior-year Lone Peak basketball statistics: 23.6 ppg, 2.7 apg.
T.J. Haws’ senior-year Lone Peak basketball statistics: 25.2 ppg, 5.2 apg.
Some say it’s unfair to already compare T.J. to his older brother. I say it’s already clear from his high school stats that he’ll eventually become the better player. Tyler Haws, your all–time scoring record has officially been put on notice.
Silver Lining No. 5: It’s not like a lot of people were predicting BYU to beat Xavier anyway.
Wait, they were!?!? Well … then skip to No. 6 I guess…
Silver Lining No. 6: Maybe the Utes will lose their first tournament game as well.
The No. 5 seed vs. No. 12 seed is a classic matchup that is famous for its upset potential. Fivethirtyeight.com has validated this with a recent piece examining why No. 5 seeds are jinxed.
Silver Lining No. 7: Taysom Hill is throwing spirals right now, as we speak.
OK, it’s not basketball, but I couldn’t resist mentioning how Hill is inching closer and closer to a full recovery.
Maybe I was wrong about it being impossible to just forget about basketball. Besides, who really wants to be preoccupied with March Madness when all the excitement of spring camp is already upon us?
