Poof

Just like that...the dream season is over.

Saturday afternoon Cougar Nation was on top of the world! We'd just beaten San Diego State in San Diego; a 27-2 record; vaulted to No. 3 in the rankings; the best and most entertaining player in the country and the leading candidate for National Player of the Year honors; a possible No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament come Selection Sunday; a decent shot to make the Final Four, maybe... This was the year. This was the team, players, coach, etc.

72-hours later...gone.

Greg Wrubell, a local commentator, sized the situation up near perfect:

"I can only imagine how Davies, the BYU players and coaches feel tonight, because I am sure most of Cougar Nation just feels crushed. An injury absence is in a way easier to overcome, because a player's health could be affected at any instant, for no reason at all. Injury may be unfair, but it is also without forethought or penalty.

Honor Code suspensions are a result of choice and consequence, and those elements make Davies impending absence tougher to understand and accept. He will now sit and watch (or possibly, not watch), as his teammates move on without him. The Cougars may or may not go farther than any team in BYU Basketball history, but Davies will not be along for the ride, and it didn't have to be that way."

Oriah and I went to the game last night against New Mexico. I don't really know of a word that would fit the feeling watching what was playing out on the court. As I listened to the post-game comments on the radio they asked the New Mexico coach what their key to winning was and he responded, "Beat 'em inside."

Duh.

Hopefully the team will pull together to beat Wyoming Saturday to win the regular season title. I think that's about all the awards they'll be taking away from this season after expecting so much, much more. I'm guessing the boys will be knocked out in the 2nd round of the MWC Tournament, drop to a 8-9 seed for the Dance and exit stage left in the First Round.

I really feel bad for Brandon. I've been there. I've made mistakes and had to sit with the consequences. And there's nothing you can do to change what's happened. Time has to take its course. Your reward is living with it and waiting it out. Such an utterly bitter experience. I really feel for the guy. And he did the right thing by taking responsibility for whatever it was that happened; you can't sacrifice truth for convenience. And he'll be vilified and forever remembered as the guy who derailed the season that could have been. I hope BYU fans will show him compassion.

And I have to ask myself why I'm so emotionally involved in this team and the once possible outcome of this season? Why was my heart so much set upon these things?

Ugh. Feeling blue in Cougar Nation.