For Many Cougars, Basketball Season Begins NOW

[Mars]

After the football team lost another ugly game to TCU yesterday, I'm sure many are tempted to move on to the next major BYU sport...


So what is Rose's record in big regular-season games? Do you think Bradley will make our opener a close one? Is this the year our big men finally step up?

[Sammich]

I'm always quick to move focus to Basketball if football loses. I don't know anything about Bradley other than they're pretty good. What defines a "big" regular season game anyway? I know they lost to ASU and Wake Forest last year and MSU, North Carolina the year before. The only big win I remember is Louisville, but do you count teams like Utah State? I know if you include tournament games Rose is pretty deep in the hole.

[Mars]

I don't know anything about Bradley other than they're pretty good. What defines a "big" regular season game anyway? I know they lost to ASU and Wake Forest last year and MSU, North Carolina the year before. The only big win I remember is Louisville, but do you count teams like Utah State?

I definitely include Utah State, Utah, and UNLV. Also usually SDSU and last year, New Mexico. Air Force used to be great, now not so much. Also some games like @ Tulsa last year.

To me, any Top 100 team in the RPI is a "big" game.

[Gunk]

Here's a break down of regular season "big game" wins and loses over the last two seasons.

08 - 09

Loses: Arizona State (#17), Wake Forest (#6), @UNM, UNLV, @Utah, @UNLV, SDSU (MWC Tourney), and A&M (NCAA Tourney)
Wins: Tulsa, SDSU, @SDSU, Utah, Utah State, UNM

07 - 08

Loses: North Carolina (#1), Michigan State (#10), @Wake Forest, @UNLV, @SDSU, UNLV (MWC Tourney), and A&M (NCAA Tourney)
Wins: Louisville (#6), @UNM, UNM, @Utah, Utah, UNLV, and SDSU (MWC Tourney)

Against ranked opponents we certainly struggle against and typically lose. Against conference teams, we win the "big games" about 50 percent of the time, except for the MWC tourney.