Uh-oh -- BYU won't put UConn on pedestal ...

[Tidepool]

... and they plan to throw the first punch. But in addition to the standard bravado, the article contains some interesting background:


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/s...on=Footer&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=article

 

[StevieDude]

Just curious and not that it's going to happen this year but what would BYU do if they ever made the Final Four and have to play on a Sunday?

 

[Drumguy]

... and they plan to throw the first punch. But in addition to the standard bravado, the article contains some interesting background:


http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/sports/ncaabasketball/at-byu-taking-a-path-they-never-imagined.html?action=click&contentCollection=College Basketball&region=Footer&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=article

I chuckled at that when I read it too. Sure there's a chance but it's not a very high %, that's why they play the games.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Just curious and not that it's going to happen this year but what would BYU do if they ever made the Final Four and have to play on a Sunday?

What's the big deal about them playing on a Sunday? Don't all schools do this throughout the season? Seems like scheduling would be pretty tough to just say we're not gonna play on Sundays or Fridays.

 

[rbny1]

Good for them. They shouldn't put us on a pedestal. They should play hard and do all they can to win. That's what competitive sports are about.

 

[Icebear]

Best thing they could do is help UCONN up on a pedestal. It is hard to run an offense or defense from up there.

 

[jdubct]

I like the fact that they will play full out like St. Josephs did. It still should be a Uconn win by a substantial margin.

 

[Vowelguy]

BYU does NOT play on Sundays. Ever.

If BYU made the final four, the game would be moved to Saturday.

A few years ago there was a screwup in the mens' bracket whereby if BYU had made the elite 8, the game would've been on a Sunday. The NCAA had to backpedal and announce that if BYU made it past week 1, they would be swapped with another team so their game would be on a Saturday. The swapping of teams mid-tournament would've been unprecedented, but BYU lost early so it didn't come to that.

 

[StevieDude]

BYU does NOT play on Sundays. Ever.

If BYU made the final four, the game would be moved to Saturday.

A few years ago there was a screwup in the mens' bracket whereby if BYU had made the elite 8, the game would've been on a Sunday. The NCAA had to backpedal and announce that if BYU made it past week 1, they would be swapped with another team so their game would be on a Saturday. The swapping of teams mid-tournament would've been unprecedented, but BYU lost early so it didn't come to that.

And who beat them? That was UConn

 

[HoopsFan21]

BYU does NOT play on Sundays. Ever.

If BYU made the final four, the game would be moved to Saturday.

A few years ago there was a screwup in the mens' bracket whereby if BYU had made the elite 8, the game would've been on a Sunday. The NCAA had to backpedal and announce that if BYU made it past week 1, they would be swapped with another team so their game would be on a Saturday. The swapping of teams mid-tournament would've been unprecedented, but BYU lost early so it didn't come to that.

Why? Perhaps I'm being stupid here, but I've never heard of a team pro, amateur, or college that absolutely refuses to play on certain days of the week. I know there are certain traditional days of the week certain sports play (i.e. high school football on Fridays, college football on Saturdays, NFL on Sundays) but even that's just a generality. In any case, the NCAA should not honor special requests like that unless there were mitigating circumstances like the team was stuck in a raging snowstorm and it was physically impossible to get there.

 

[Vowelguy]

Why? Perhaps I'm being stupid here,

Religion.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Religion.

OK, but that's pretty dumb. If you honor their religious request then a team that is predominantly Jewish kids should not play in Friday night games. And if you make exceptions for religion, why not other circumstances legit or otherwise? If they don't want to play in Sunday games, participation is completely voluntary as it always has been.

 

[sarals24]

Well, the school probably has a policy, not the individual kids on the team who happen to be Mormon. And I'm sure if there was a Jewish school that had a similar policy the NCAA would accommodate them as well. But just a team of individual kids who happen to be Jewish? I don't know if they would make an exception for that, maybe they would.
Obviously the games are voluntary, yes, but I don't really see an issue with moving the game for religious purposes. Especially because it's not a one-time thing, but an ongoing issue that the NCAA is aware of every year. So it's not like making an exception for them would open it up to having to make one-time exemptions for a school.

 

[doggydaddy]

OK, but that's pretty dumb. If you honor their religious request then a team that is predominantly Jewish kids should not play in Friday night games. And if you make exceptions for religion, why not other circumstances legit or otherwise? If they don't want to play in Sunday games, participation is completely voluntary as it always has been.

I don't think anyone's religious beliefs should be called dumb.

Yes, if a Yeshiva team was scheduled for Friday night or Saturday during they day, they wouldn't play. I'm sure they don't schedule them on those times.

 

[Wonkster]

... and they plan to throw the first punch...

BYU will be encountering some resistance from our welcoming committee ...

 

[Vowelguy]

OK, but that's pretty dumb. If you honor their religious request then a team that is predominantly Jewish kids should not play in Friday night games. And if you make exceptions for religion, why not other circumstances legit or otherwise? If they don't want to play in Sunday games, participation is completely voluntary as it always has been.

It has nothing to do with the religion of the kids. It is school policy as a religious institution.
BYU has stated that it will not play on Sundays, and it schedules no games on that day.
The NCAA has decided to make an accomodation for it, and has said it will not schedule any of its tournament games on Sundays. The NCAA was not forced into doing so. Nor do I think it would be as flexible with willy-nilly requests.

 

[Kevin G]

Good for them.....but I still want UCONN to beat them by 40!

 

[TroyHouse66]

Wonk...
Thank you for posting the picture of the Yeshiva University starting four

 

[Zorro]

The only thing that belongs on a pedestal is a bust, which the Huskies ain't!

 

[ThisJustIn]

I don't think anyone's religious beliefs should be called dumb.

Yes, if a Yeshiva team was scheduled for Friday night or Saturday during they day, they wouldn't play. I'm sure they don't schedule them on those times.

21 - some recommended viewing: Chariots of Fire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chariots_of_Fire

 

[Wonkster]

Wonk...
Thank you for posting the picture of the Yeshiva University starting four

I can tell you, cheap they are not. They knew exactly what their market value was, and wouldn't come down a shekel in our negotiation for their services as the Lincoln, Nebraska welcoming committee for BYU.

 

[Replicant]

... and they plan to throw the first punch.

How many times have we heard similar tripe in the past. And really, what else could the Cougars say.

I still have fond remembrances of the Syracuse game at the Carrier Dome a few years back, wherein the entire week leading up to the game was full of smack coming out of upstate NY. Geno decided it was the appropriate time to "Release the Kraken" and allowed Maya to savage Cuse for 40+, in a 50+ point beat down! And IIRC, that was the same game the nasty (pejorative use) Cuse player attempted to trip Geno in the handshake line...LOL!

So please ladies...keep the smack coming.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

How many times have we heard similar tripe in the past. And really, what else could the Cougars say.

I still have fond remembrances of the Syracuse game at the Carrier Dome a few years back, wherein the entire week leading up to the game was full of smack coming out of upstate NY. Geno decided it was the appropriate time to "Release the Kraken" and allowed Maya to savage Cuse for 40+, in a 50+ point beat down! And IIRC, that was the same game the nasty (pejorative use) Cuse player attempted to trip Geno in the handshake line...LOL!

So please ladies...keep the smack coming.

Um, I read the article. Not a lot of smack there. I don't think BYU and Syracuse is an apt comparison, and I doubt BYU is likely to either spend the week talking smack or incur Geno's ire.

As to the not playing on Sunday, Mormon's consider Sunday family time. No TV either on Sunday. We were friends with a Mormon couple (their son was our ring-bearer) and the friendship ultimately ended (no problem, just drifted away) because we could really only visit on Sunday afternoons and they would have missionaries over, and of course not watching NFL which was a big common thing between us (even though he was a big fan, he only watched on Monday night and read about Sunday games in the paper). I suppose it is admirable in a way, but I don't think the only way to develop good family and morals, etc.

 

[Replicant]

Um, I read the article. Not a lot of smack there. I don't think BYU and Syracuse is an apt comparison, and I doubt BYU is likely to either spend the week talking smack or incur Geno's ire.

As to the not playing on Sunday, Mormon's consider Sunday family time. No TV either on Sunday. We were friends with a Mormon couple (their son was our ring-bearer) and the friendship ultimately ended (no problem, just drifted away) because we could really only visit on Sunday afternoons and they would have missionaries over, and of course not watching NFL which was a big common thing between us (even though he was a big fan, he only watched on Monday night and read about Sunday games in the paper). I suppose it is admirable in a way, but I don't think the only way to develop good family and morals, etc.

Granted, BYU's chatter was fairly benign and I'm probably guilty of preemptively anticipating more tripe out of Muffet.

Also, my reference to the Cuse affair was less a comparison with BYU, but rather a fond memory and musing about the perils opposing teams face if they actually begin to buy into their own rhetoric.

I don't know about putting UConn on a pedestal, but after our decisive victory, it would be good of the Cougars to place a stuffed Jonathan doll at the feet of Joseph Smith's statue in Temple Square!

As to Mormon faith and family considerations - God bless.

 

[MilfordHusky]

BYU will be encountering some resistance from our welcoming committee ...

I too am expecting a high-scoring game, a "shoot out" so to speak.