Pace Mannion "I honestly believe Cougars won't win an NCAA game"

[TripletDaddy]

Given that BYU is being projected as a 4 seed or higher at this point, there sure as hell is a basis to expect one. If you have a long list of games BYU has lost to 13 or 14 seeds, I'm willing to reconsider my opinion.

out of curiosity, how many times has byu played in March while seeded that high? I don't know but I would imagine you have the info handy.

[Art Vandelay]

If BYU was 34-1 going into the NCAA tournament, what would their seeding be?

It is always fun to speculate, but that it what my HS friends and I would call a "WAFY" scenario (we always thought we made the expression up, but I highly doubt it. Is anyone else familiar with the stupid saying? It is not an acronym).

[scottie]

out of curiosity, how many times has byu played in March while seeded that high? I don't know but I would imagine you have the info handy.

I noticed a cool feature on espn.com the other day -- at the bottom of every college basketball team page is a NCAA Tournament History summary section that includes a link to their tournament history.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=252

[jay santos]

out of curiosity, how many times has byu played in March while seeded that high? I don't know but I would imagine you have the info handy.

Mannion says even if BYU wins all the rest of their games, he honestly believes they will not win in the tourney.

So which assumption fails?

1. A 32-1 ranked BYU team will get no worse than a 4 seed.

2. BYU will easily handle any tournament team seeded 13th or worse.

3. Pace Mannion is a bright, articulate college basketball analyst.

[scottie]

I noticed a cool feature on espn.com the other day -- at the bottom of every college basketball team page is a NCAA Tournament History summary section that includes a link to their tournament history.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=252

Note: that site doesn't appear to include anything about seeding.

[Indy Coug]

out of curiosity, how many times has byu played in March while seeded that high? I don't know but I would imagine you have the info handy.

They beat 13 seed UNC Charlotte in 1988 as a 4 seed and then lost to 5 seed Louisville in the 2nd round. Seeing how that was so long ago that one of the players involved now has a son starting for BYU, I'm not sure what relevance it has to begin with. I don't know what relevance any of BYU's past tourney losses have as far as first round handicapping for this year goes.

I realize that a lot of BYU fans have been emasculated by previous tournaments, but that still is no legitimate basis for oddsmaking this year.

[TripletDaddy]

Mannion says even if BYU wins all the rest of their games, he honestly believes they will not win in the tourney.

So which assumption fails?

1. A 32-1 ranked BYU team will get no worse than a 4 seed.

2. BYU will easily handle any tournament team seeded 13th or worse.

3. Pace Mannion is a bright, articulate college basketball analyst.

A 32-1 team would get no worse than a 4 seed. However, beyond that, I am not entirely down on Mannion's claims (although he seems bent on refusing to believe).

I am simply acknowledging the reality that BYU teams across multiple coaches and multiple rosters have consistently found ways to choke in the first round. Until this team can prove it in the first round, I have hopes, but zero expectations. This is a huge monkey on their backs.

[il Padrino Ute]

Given that BYU is being projected as a 4 seed or higher at this point, there sure as hell is a basis to expect one. If you have a long list of games BYU has lost to 13 or 14 seeds, I'm willing to reconsider my opinion.

I don't need to point out any losses BYU has had to 13 or 14 seeds. I only need to point out that the last time BYU got past the 1st round was 1993.

[jay santos]

I don't need to point out any losses BYU has had to 13 or 14 seeds. I only need to point out that the last time BYU got past the 1st round was 1993.

Remember when you had definitive proof that no non-BCS team would ever play in a BCS bowl? I believe you were using similar logic.

[il Padrino Ute]

Remember when you had definitive proof that no non-BCS team would ever play in a BCS bowl? I believe you were using similar logic.

I never said that. I said that no non-BCS team would ever play in the fake championship game.

[SteelBlue]

That tournament history link makes me realize how good I had it sports wise in my time at BYU. They went to the second round 3 times while I was there (freshman year 88 when Marty Haws was a Senior). They haven't been to the second round since I graduated. I think we can all see the connection there. It's time for me to go back to school.

[Goatnapper'96]

That tournament history link makes me realize how good I had it sports wise in my time at BYU. They went to the second round 3 times while I was there (freshman year 88 when Marty Haws was a Senior). They haven't been to the second round since I graduated. I think we can all see the connection there. It's time for me to go back to school.

If BYU keeps Rose I think BYU is going to start getting to the 2nd round a lot. Rose teams lose few games that they should win. I thought they choked in the tourney his first two years, I thought aTm was just a better squad last year. I really think that this year will get them a seed where if they play average they will win. I think once the monkey is off the back they will start winning in the first round as frequently as they lose. I think BYU gets to the sweet 16 at least once in the next two years, but it wouldn't surprise me if there is another multi decade wait to get there again.

[Goatnapper'96]

This guy would be one of the great internet trolls if he didn't grow to be 6'7".

"Even if they won all the rest of their games, I wouldn't change my mind."

The real issue with this is it is smack. If he could provide insight wrt specific shortcomings in this BYU team it might be worth listening to, but throwing down BYU's history without drawing comparisons on the court of play between this team and those BYU teams who have lost in the first round is not particularly compelling from a guy whose knowledge is such to earn him time on the radio.

[jay santos]

The real issue with this is it is smack. If he could provide insight wrt specific shortcomings in this BYU team it might be worth listening to, but throwing down BYU's history without drawing comparisons on the court of play between this team and those BYU teams who have lost in the first round is not particularly compelling from a guy whose knowledge is such to earn him time on the radio.

Yes and unfortunately rivalry smack is good for talk radio in Utah. So we either get analysis paralysis of the Utah Jazz (boring) or rivalry smack (slightly less boring).

[Coastal Ute]

I can hardly stand to admit it, but I think BYU is the real deal this year. Who cares what Mannion thinks anyways?

Needless to say, I will again be cheering for Texas A&M this year, as usual.