Monday, November 29, 2010

BYU vs Utah "The Gift"

The terrible call that handed Utah back the ball with time to score the game winning touchdown didn't "cost" BYU the game. Unfortunately it was the absence of a 42 yard field goal that could have easily been a 25 yard field goal. But it would be naive to think that game winning touchdowns handed to the home team on their final drive of the game don't help tremendously. With that having been said here is a still frame from the television coverage to help you decide if it was the right call. Remember that the replay officials had this same view.
Ball in arms: Check, Knee on the ground: Check,  On field official with a great view of the play: Check, By some miracle the mountain actually has a decent view of the play: CHECK



How did the replay officials miss the obvious call?survey software

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Some stuff from Friday's game.

So after watching the first game of the season on Friday I thought I would jot down a few notes on each player.

Jimmer Fredette: Well he's Jimmer and he's a pre-season all American and all I can say is he is every bit that. He will score at will and is will once again take this team on it's back and carry it when they are having trouble scoring. From the looks of it he has also improved his defense. He's been working all summer on getting quicker on D and it looks like it's worked you could tell he was really putting forth the extra effort on D. He only got a few minutes on Friday but I'm not sure I remember him missing a shot. I know him and Jax combined for something like 10-11 shooting. As coach rose said  that won't happen often but if it does then watch out.

Jackson Emery: Still a great spot up shooter and a great on ball defender. He didn't play much so I didn't get a chance to see what he has worked on in the off season but I seriously don't think he'll miss very often when he's open.

Charles Abouo: Very very strong. Just like last year he can really get to the rim and is explosive when he gets there. He also didn't get much time but he got to the rim well and on one particular play got a pass and went straight up for the dunk. This is what I want to see whenever he goes in there, too often he gets to the rim and doesn't finish. I'm excited to see how he has improved to see if he finishes better this year. He will carry the load some times this year. Also another great defender.

Chris Collinsworth: Was a beast on the boards had some good post moves and was aggressive going to the basket. Didn't really get challenged on the interior on defense but he moves well and he is big. He took a couple of shots and they looked good but were no where near the basket. I'm sure this will get better as the season goes on but regaudless he will be invaluable  on the defensive and offensive glass.

Brandon Davies: Also didn't really get challenged. No big men so he didn't really do much. He had a really good block and looked like he will pick up where he left off last year.

Kyle Collinsworth: Very impressive debut. He kind of struggled from the line but as I remember correctly Haws missed his first ten from the line and had a slow shooting start as well. I don't really want to compare him to Haws too much though because they are two very different players. Kyle is extremely athletic and can get to the rim with a variety of moves. I was very surprised with two of his spin moves at how easily he rose up and got to the rim to finish. Very pretty. He was very calm and didn't look like he was in a hurry to shoot. I'd like to see him take a few more shots but he is very smart and knows that his job is to distribute the ball. His chance to score will come but he is a very good passer. The thing that impressed me most about him was his defense. He got up so quickly to block shots that he actually blocked 2 three pointers! I think the shooters were very surprised that he got up so quick. He didn't just tip them he got a full hand on them. Very quick reflexes, I really like this guy.

Brock Zylstra: If you are looking for a surprise guy to get minutes this year then look no further than Brock. He looked very smooth with his J and was very good on defense and was hustling all over the court. He will give this team some instant energy and offense when he is in. We didn't see much of Brock last year but I have a feeling we will see a lot of him this year.

Logan Magnuson: Played very well off the bench. He's very good on the defensive glass and works very hard when he's in there. He's kind of a tweener in that he doesn't really have the size of a 4 or the offense of a 3. Whatever he lacks in size he makes up in hustle.

Those were the guys that sort of stood out to me. This is a very good basketball team that is looking to build off of last years success. I think we will win the MWC handily and Jimmer will give us the sweet 16 run we've been waiting for. This is the year folks!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

PI or not PI?

So there has been some discussion over a supposed missed call on 3rd down during last weeks game so I decided to post a still motion picture of the play with the Pass Interference rule per NCAA rule book and whether or not the refs missed the call in this occasion.

So here is the rule:

Defensive pass interference is contact beyond the neutral zone by a
Team B player whose intent to impede an eligible opponent is obvious
and it could prevent the opponent the opportunity of receiving a catchable
forward pass. When in question, a legal forward pass is catchable.
Defensive pass interference occurs only after a legal forward pass is
thrown. It is not Pass interference if:
1 . When, after the snap, opposing players immediately charge and
establish contact with opponents at a point that is within one yard
beyond the neutral zone.
2 . When two or more eligible players are making a simultaneous and
bona fide attempt to reach, catch or bat the pass. Eligible players of
either team have equal rights to the ball (A.R. 7-3-8-XII).
3 . When a Team B player legally contacts an opponent before the pass
is thrown

Now by the rule I believe that the correct call was made because:
1. There is no obvious intent to impede the receiver. Simply putting an arm on a receiver does not mean PI.
2. Both players were making a bona fide attempt to reach the pass. (Although it looks like in the replay that the UW receiver didn't try to go at the ball he just tucked his arms and and fell over when he saw he couldn't get to it).

Some will argue that "Bradley is all over him". But once again that doesn't mean PI necessarily. In this case it looks like (from the picture and the replay) that the receiver stops to try and catch the ball and Bradley runs into him as he is making a play on the ball. Not PI. If Bradley would have used the receiver to propel himself closer to the ball then it would have been PI. Again that is just my opinion based on the rule and what I see in the picture and the video replay.

I think it was a tough call to make in live action and to say the ref absolutely blew the call is to not understand the rule. To be honest I thought it was pass interference until I read the rule and there have been lots of plays this season that I have complained about being PI that actually weren't and indeed there have been a few calls that were called PI that shouldn't have been.

So there you go hate or love it I don't think that call was missed.

Here is the video too so you can get another angle. The back angle looks pretty bad like the call was missed. But I'm going to play devil's advocate here and say that the contact resulted because the TE stopped to catch the ball. Unless you believe that Bradley picked up the TE with his right arm then it looks like the contact on the back side occurs as both players jump towards the ball.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Wonder why BYU wants to go?

This is courtesy a mathematically inclined fan (not me):

For the past couple of days, I've been trying to work out a model that would show - in very clear terms - what BYU's opportunity cost is to stay in the MWC. Along with that model, I wanted to show our poor MWC little brothers just how much we've been carrying them over the past 4 years.  Here's the first draft that I wanted to get everyone's feedback on.
Fanbase model:  I took the total # of enrolled students, divided by 4, then multiplied by the expected remaining lifespan of a college graduate (40) then multiplied by the average number of children than the demographic has (1.83 for the general population and 3 for Mormons).  The outlier here was AFA, so I included ROTC #'s from other schools to get their total enrollment to 18,000 instead of 4,500.
Revenue Share & Opportunity Cost model:  I took the mtn contract payout today ($12M/year divided by 9 = $1.3M/school) and then subtracted what the BYU subsidy essentially is if we were to calculate what a proportional revenue sharing arrangement would look like.  The numbers below will make this clearer.
Annual
Univ. Fanbase   %Share  (Subsidy)/OppCost
AFA     329,400   7%    $(1,062,737.26)
BYU   1,478,370  30%     $6,666,666.67 
CSU     455,213   9%      $(959,384.59)
UNM     634,534  13%      $(812,075.09)
SDSU    537,178  11%      $(892,051.26)
TCU     159,137   3%    $(1,202,605.36)
UNLV    531,963  11%      $(896,335.70)
UofU    514,779  11%      $(910,451.80)
WYO     228,677   5%    $(1,145,479.52)
Historical
Univ. Totals
AFA   $(5,313,686)
BYU   $33,333,333 
CSU   $(4,796,923)
UNM   $(4,060,375)
SDSU  $(4,460,256)
TCU   $(6,013,027)
UNLV  $(4,481,679)
UofU  $(4,552,259)
WYO   $(5,727,398)
That's right folks... that's a $33M opportunity cost for BYU since 2006 with the inception of the mtn.  Even calculating the Yewt's and TCU's BCS winnings after these #'s (which effectively netted BYU about $2M total between the two appearances) all schools are still heavily subsidized by BYU.  We should start sending out bills to the different schools in the MWC and call it the 'keep the conference together tax.'

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Guard Marsha Henderson leaves Utah, taken 5th in WNBA draft


According to a recent press release University of Utah guard Marsha Henderson has left the school in order to pursue a professional basketball career. According to inside sources Henderson has indeed declared for the WNBA draft. Henderson made his decision after he was told by WNBA scouts that he would be a first round draft pick. Marsha was selected with the 5th overall pick by the San Antonio Silver Stars. (Above: Henderson gets ready for WNBA play) San Antonio GM Dan Hughs said that Henderson's 1-20 shooting would be "a big boost" for the Silver Stars. The news was announced this morning during the WNBA draft but due to the fact that no one was watching or paying any attention, it took a while for the news to get out. According to the Silver Stars coach Sandy Brondello, "It will be great to have someone like Marsha on the team. With the way he er I mean she raises her hand in the air with three fingers when she finally makes a shot, that is impressive. Between Marsha and that one Olympic runner that got caught using steroids, we should have a pretty good team." Coach Brondello who was still crushed after finding out Joakim Noah would not be available for the WNBA draft also commented on Henderson's ability to make shots when no one is guarding her saying "He er I mean she certainly has that ability to score points when no one is around to block her shot so she should do very well in this league." WNBA Commissioner David Stern responded to criticism by saying "No one watches the WNBA anyway, and even if someone does I'm sure they won't notice, he hits like a girl and he whines like a girl. Most of the girls playing look more like men anyway". Henderson will begin practicing with the Silver Stars in June.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Cougar fans bid Farewell to Seniors

This Saturday will mark the last home game for BYU Seniors Jonathan Tavernari, Lamont Morgan, Jr. and Chris Miles. All three players hold a special place in the heart of BYU fans. Saturday will also be the last time for most fans to witness live the heart, determination and skill that these three have shown us throughout their careers. I will be at the Marriott Center on Saturday at two to bid farewell, but this is why I will miss each one:


Jonathan Tavernari: Watching Tavernari play is like riding on a roller coaster. Their were highs and there were lows, but the highs were so fun that you get right back in line to see if you can take another ride. BYU will miss JT's three point shots but they will also miss his rebounding ability and his quick hands. When JT arrived on campus he was a three point shooter with a quick and a pretty turn-around J. As teams put more focus on the former MWC Freshman of the year he was forced to become a more complete player and that he did. JT is an excellent rebounder and there aren't very many people in the conference that can get their hands into the passing lane as well as JT does.
Best Game: November 23, 2007 BYU took on and beat then #6 Louisville. JT lead the Cougars with 29 pts on 5-11 shooting from behind the arc. He also brought in 7 rebounds and a team high 2 steals.
Why you will miss JT: First of all you won't find a better team player than JT. He has caught a lot of flack from some very uneducated fans for his streaky shooting. Even he will admit that he has had some rough patches, but what he has done this year should gain the respect of every Cougar fan. Early in the season when JT was struggling he suggested that the team would benefit from him coming off the bench as a sixth man. That is something only a team player will do. So just how good is JT right now? Well he's 13-26 from behind the arc in the last 4 games and has come up with big shot after big shot. Yes, "JT for 3" will surely be missed.

Lamont Morgan Jr.: Lamont's quickness and maturity at the back-up point position has been fun to watch over his career. Had he not been behind possibly the greatest point guard in BYU history, he might have been even better. It is hard to explain to most people why Morgan is so important to this team. To the untrained eye he looks like a run of the mill back up point guard who averaged a mere 3.4 points per game and to go along with 1 assist. The one thing that can somewhat explain how popular Lamont is among his teammates is that he was elected team captain his senior year. Lamont has an infectious personality that is hard not like. You've got to love his smile and his work ethic. From Cougar fans every where: Thanks and Good Luck Lamont!
many

Chris Miles: If you've watched any games this year you will quickly realize that Miles is the glue to this teams defense. One of my favorite moments this year was watching Utah's Foster catch the ball on the low block and then end up taking a 15' turn around because Miles completely owned him. When Miles is on the low block I don't worry about anybody being a post scoring threat. He didn't block shots, but nobody has the footwork and positioning that he does. Miles is a very good defensive player who works harder than anybody else on the court. In case you don't watch very much basketball I just want to point out some of the little things that Miles does that helps the Cougars win and that will be missed when he leaves: Miles gets up and down the court like no other big man in the league. This wears down opposing big men because they are forced to sprint up and down the court in order to keep up with Miles. Chris is very good at boxing his guy completely out of an area. This allows every one else to get the rebound and often shuts down the other teams best rebounder. Miles gets the crowd going too. I can remember many times when the fans seem to be asleep or reading the newspaper. Miles' energy was so infectious that those fans had no choice but to get on their feet. A lot of the things that Miles does don't show up in the stat sheet but I hope Miles knows how much fans appreciate his work ethic. Good luck Chris, you will be missed.

Oh yeah and one more thing that these guys will be remembered for by the end of the year: 4 MWC championships in 4 years. 'Nuff Said.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Henderbaby


This photo is brought to you courtesy of my wife... pretty funny stuff.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

What to Watch for: BYU vs New Mexico



First and foremost you should watch out for the snake.----->

But that goes in the category of watching out and not watching for...


1. Secret Weapon Elizabeth Lambert. Ok so this might also fall in the category of what to watch out for, but unless you have a pony tail and you're attending the game, you should be safe. The Lobos are likely to suit up Lambert in an attempt to slow down Fredette. If Fredette can stay away from the kicks to the face he should be fine as the Cougars have already preempted the Lambert move by making all their players wear short hair cuts. Thank you Honor Code.


2.Watch for Tyler Haws to have another big game. I think opposing coaches are playing the percentages and allowing Haws to get open looks while trying to shut down Fredette and Emery. The thinking is that a Freshman is less likely to hit big shots than a seasoned veteran. The problem is that Haws does not play like a freshman. New Mexico plays an extended man to man defense that opens up the mid range jumper. The Lobos will try to shut down the three and the drive to the basket and that will leave Haws with his bread and butter mid range J.


3. The Lobos will focus their whole defensive game plan on Jimmer, but it won't work. Fredette will once again put this team on his back and carry them when they need him most. I'm seeing another 30 point outing from the Junior superstar.


4. Jax will break out of mid season slump and hit some big shots for the Cougars. Emery started out the season on fire from behind the arc but defenses have started focusing on him more and as a result his shot percentage has gone down. He will once again pick up some of the scoring load and have somewhere around 15 points.


5. BYU will establish themselves in the low post before they look for the outside shot. Look for one of our big men (Miles, Hartsock, or Davies) to score in the double digits this contest.


6. BYU 72 New Mexico 67

Friday, January 22, 2010

BYU vs SDSU 10 things to look for


Before you sit down to watch the game on Saturday you might want to print this list off and follow along as the game goes on. (If you get lost during the game, it's not that I'm wrong, everyone else must be doing it wrong)
1. In the 5 road games that Jimmer Fredette has started this year he is averaging 29 pts on 58% from the field while averaging 6 assists and 2 steals per game. Those are some really impressive numbers. Expect Jimmer to come out and do something really similar. A great game and a win for the Cougars would all but seal his bid at MWC POY.
2. Watch and see how Miles, Hartsock and Davies handle SDSU's "athletic bigs". They did an exceptional job against UTEP and Fresno St. who both have very athletic big men. They'll need to stay out of foul trouble and give the offense a consistent low block presence. SDSU is a terrible shooting free throw team and so I wouldn't be surprised if BYU doubles on the low block and tries to make SDSU earn their points from the charity stripe.
3. Tyler Haws has really stepped up his game when other teams try to take away Jimmer and Jax. If SDSU has watched any film they will know this and will have to pay more attention to the Freshman. If they don't Haws will have another 20 point game.
4. The MWC Freshman of the Year award has become a two horse race between SDSU freshman Kawhi Leonard and Tyler Haws. It will be fun to see which of these two is able to step up his game in a big time setting. My money is on Haws. Look for him to stay cool and calm under pressure as he runs away with the FOY honors.
5. Which bench player will have a career game? Will it be JT? Maybe Lamont Morgan? Or will Lloyd come through again? JT has really embraced his role as the 6th man and is arguably the best 6th man in the conference if not the country. If he plays within the offense and doesn't force up shots, he will have a big game. Watch for JT to take advantage of all the attention that Jax, Jimmer and now Haws will draw from the SDSU defense.
6. Watch for SDSU to put some full court pressure on the Cougars. They will try and get our guards out of rhythm early by trapping and extending the defense well beyond the 3 point line. They will find out as Wyoming did, that BYU is just too deep and BYU has too many shooters. When SDSU pressures up front a lot of space opens up for our mid range jump shooters like Haws and Hartsock who will take advantage of this and knock down their J's to keep BYU in the lead.
7. Pay attention to how BYU uses its depth to wear teams down. A lot of teams this year have been able to hang around for half a game and a few have lasted longer but BYU starts to poor it on at about the 10 minute mark. They are very deep and have the ability to run opposing teams into the ground.
8. Look for BYU to employ a zone defense. BYU's guards are very good at getting into the passing lanes. SDSU struggled against our zone last year when we beat them in San Diego and I think you will see a similar drought on Saturday. Coach Rose knows exactly when to use the zone to get fast break points and put a game away.
9. SDSU is a very good offensive rebounding team. Over the course of the year BYU has turned into one of the nations best defensive rebounding teams. This will the match up that decides the game. If BYU can control the defensive glass and limit SDSU to one shot then they will be able to get up the court and run on SDSU all night.
10. 81-71