The Cougars wrapped up their Thursday practice at the Marriott Center an hour or so ago, and the BYU women are now warming up, getting ready for their big game against No. 21 Gonzaga. The Zags are warming up, too.
The Tribune's Marty Renzhofer will cover tonight's game, so I am heading home to watch the big St. Mary's-Gonzaga men's game from Spokane.
Strangely, the three Cougars I talked to after practice today said they probably won't watch the game. Coach Dave Rose said he might not, either.
"I don't think I will watch it tonight," Rose adi. "But I will be interested in what the score is. When you look at it in the long scheme of things, whatever happens is your next ch...

It has been assumed for more than a year now that BYU offensive lineman Matt Reynolds would be taken in April's NFL Draft. The four-year starter was even mentioned as a possible first-round pick, although his stock has dropped some over the course of the last year.
Will any other Cougars be drafted?
Don't rule out defensive tackle Hebron "Loni" Fangupo.
According to this list put out by the NFL Scouting Combine, both Reynolds and Fangupo will take part in the combine in Indianapolis, Ind., from Feb. 22-28.
They are among more than 300 college football players invited to this year's combine.
Coa...

Kinda strange not having a BYU basketball game this week until Saturday. But after the Cougars play host to Pepperdine this weekend (4 p.m., BYUtv), they will return to the regular Thursday-Saturday rotation for the remaining two weeks of the regular season.
Then it is on to the WCC tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. BYU fans accustomed to the MWC tournament format are in for a surprise, though. If they finish in the top two, the Cougars won't begin play in the tournament until the semifinals on Saturday, March 3.
If they finish in the top four, they won't begin play until the quarterfinals on Friday, March 2.

Coach Dave Rose said after the Portland game on Satur...

Looks like the Cougars have played their way back into the good graces of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, if Joe Lunardi's Bracketology projections are to be believed.
The latest iteration has the Cougars (20-6) as a No. 11 seed, playing No. 6 seed Louisville in Albuquerque. UNLV is a No. 3 seed in the same quadrant. Wouldn't a BYU-UNLV second-round matchup in the Pit be intriguing?
The polls are also out this morning, and BYU is not ranked. No surprise there. The Cougars did get one vote, a No. 25 pick by Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News in the

BYU basketball coach Dave Rose answers questions after the Cougars' 83-73 win over No. 24 Gonzaga on Thursday night at the Marriott Center.

The coach explains why he decided to start Anson Winder at the two-guard position instead of Brock Zylstra.

...

BYU basketball players Noah Hartsock (right) and Matt Carlino answer questions about the Cougars' 83-73 win over No. 24 Gonzaga on Thursday night at the Marriott Center.

The Cougars led by 14 points at halftime, and held off a couple Gonzaga runs in the second half to right the ship after losing two straight home games at the Marriott Center.

BYU coach Dave Rose picked up his 100th home win Thursday (against eight home losses).

...

This isn't the way the Cougars wanted to start their hoped-for rivalry with Gonzaga. They are coming off two-straight home losses, and they simply cannot make 3-pointers, having gone 11 of 73 from beyond the arc in the past four games.
What's more, Gonzaga figures to have the emotional edge tonight (9 p.m., ESPN2), seeing as how the Cougars kicked the Bulldogs around a year ago in the NCAA Tournament. That loss couldn't have sat well with Gonzaga coach Mark Few and his assistants, two of whom have ties to the state. Of course, Ray Giacoletti was Utah's head coach and Donny Daniels was a longtime assistant.
Both were with Few that night in Denver last March when BYU blitzed t...

Interesting column in the Spokesman-Review (Spokane) newspaper today by John Blanchette about BYU's entrance into the West Coast Conference.
Of note is a portion of the column in which the author says WCC commissioner called BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe after BYU fans' unsportsmanlike behavior during and after the 80-66 loss to St. Mary's on Saturday in the Marriott Center.
Apparently, the commish asked Holmoe why it didn't stop after the first warning, and what he has done to ensure it doesn't repeat itself in the future.
Interesting quote/shot at the MWC from Holmoe:
"The ...

What does BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall think about recruiting services such as rivals.com and scout.com? The coach addressed the issue at his signing day news conference on Wednesday.

Mendenhall also talks about the dozen or so players who will be returning from missions in time for the 2012 season, including Russell Tialavea, the defensive lineman who will be a senior.

...

Which of the players signed today by BYU will have an immediate impact? Coach Bronco Mendenhall says he's not sure, but it might be worthwhile to keep an eye on RB Jamaal Williams of Fontana, Calif. Williams is just 16 years old, but the Cougars need help at the RB position with the graduation of J.J. Di Luigi and Bryan Kariya.

Also, Mendenhall talks about how he prefers players that don't have a sense of entitlement.

...

In this video segment of BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall's signing day news conference, the coach explains how the Cougars were able to land quarterback Taysom Hill. Mendenhall says Hill decided on his mission he wanted to transfer from Stanford to BYU and that the quarterback initiated the discussions with BYU. Mendenhall said BYU followed NCAA rules to a T once Hill's mission president notified the coaches that Hill was interested in transferring.

Also, Mendenhall talks about how Jake Heaps' transfer effected recruiting.

...

More from BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall and his signing day news conference on Wednesday, Feb. 1. Mendenhall answers questions about what he means when he says he is building a "complete program" and what effect independence has had on his recruiting efforts.

...

Here's Part II of BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall's news conference on signing day. Mendenhall answers questions about getting early commitments and why he signed three quarterbacks on Wednesday.

The coach says BYU might not seek as many early commitments in the future as it has in his seven-year tenure. Regarding the quarterback situation, the coach says it is better to have too many QBs than not enough.

...

BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall used the first five minutes of his signing day news conference to summarize his program's accomplishments and relay the recruiting pitch he and his coaches give prospective recruits.

This is the first of five video segments to be posted here from Mendenhall's news conference.

...

I've already posted some video of what BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall had to say today at the luncheon celebrating BYU's 2012 signing class. Most of that was Mendenhall's state-of-the-program report -- mostly stuff about 10-win seasons and national rankings, etc.
After that address, Mendenhall turned his attention to describing the 17 players who signed with BYU on Wednesday.
Of particular note was the coach's description of quarterback Tanner Mangum. Mendenhall never mentioned the name Jake Heaps when describing Mangum, but Heaps is clearly who he had in mind when he talked about Mangum not coming in feeling "entitled" to get a scholarship offer.
Actually, only 14 players really...

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall spoke to boosters after a luncheon at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Wednesday to celebrate National Signing Day and introduce his 2012 signing class.

Here are the first few minutes or so of Mendenhall's address. mainly a state-of-the-program report.

...

Throughout his seven-year tenure as BYU's head basketball coach, Dave Rose has been proud of the fact that the Cougars seemingly play better in February than they did in January.
As the new month approaches, the coach hopes that this team continues that trend, he said after a spirited practice on Tuesday at the Marriott Center.
"The most important thing is to handle February like we always handle February, and that's trying to get better," Rose said when he was asked what the Cougars need to do to right the ship after two straight home losses.
"Each practice we try to get better. With every loss comes a renewed urgency. Right now we are not shooting the ball as well as w...

After their 80-66 loss to St. Mary's on Saturday night, BYU players Noah Hartsock and Matt Carlino were adamant that the team would bounce back this week, saying Dave Rose-coached teams are known for not losing two games in a row.
But the test on Thursday is huge, with Gonzaga rolling into Provo having won four straight games and well-rested. The Zags haven't played since beating Portland 74-62 in Portland last Thursday. The Cougars should have their legs, too, finally getting some rest after playing at Virginia Tech on Wednesday and in Provo on Saturday.
Fresh legs are huge to shooting, coaches say, and BYU knows all about bad shooting after going 11 of 73 from 3-point range in it...

Brigham Young University athletic director Tom Holmoe issued a statement Monday regarding the "poor sportsmanship" displayed by BYU students and fans during and after the Cougars' 80-66 loss to St. Mary's on Saturday at the Marriott Center.
Students threw wadded paper and wadded rally towels on floor several times to show their displeasure with the officiating. The first incident, right before halftime, resulted in a warning.
When a wadded towel hit the floor early in the second half, the officiating crew of James Giron, Glen Mayberry and Frank Harvey issued an "administrative technical foul" and awarded the Gaels two free throws.
More debris -- nothing that could have ser...

As you have probably read already in The Tribune, BYU's basketball program received a commitment over the weekend from 6-2 guard Raul Delgado of Western Nebraska Community College. Delgado made his official campus visit on Saturday, took in the BYU-St. Mary's game, and committed shortly thereafter. He will sign with the Cougars when the late signing period begins in April.
WNCC coach Russell Beck, a native of Alpine, Utah, who has coached at SLCC, said Delgado has not used a redshirt year, so he will have three years to play two at BYU if he wants. However, he's not viewed as a redshirt ...

Looks like those rumors/fears/reports that former BYU head football coach Gary Crowton would join Utah's coaching staff aren't going to happen.
According to this report, Crowton will become the new offensive coordinator for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.


Check out our recruiting blog for more on BYU's latest football commit. Bingham High's Keegan Hicks, a junior, committed to the Cougars at Junior Day last Saturday. Hicks, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound offensive lineman, is just the latest ...

For the first time in coach Dave Rose's tenure, the BYU basketball team has lost three home games in one season. Struggling throughout the game, especially on offense, the Cougars fell hard tonight to No. 21 St. Mary's, dropping an 80-66 decision at the Marriott Center.
It was a tough night for Rose, who picked up only his second technical foul in his head-coaching career for snarling at a ref who had called a foul on Matt Carlino with just over two minutes remaining. Actually, the ref whom Rose was disgusted with did not call the technical. It was another ref, perhaps making up for a technical he called on St. Mary's bench earlier in the game.
BYU's studentbody also picked up a...

BYU students showed up in force for Saturday night's game against St. Mary's, filling their section an hour before the 7 p.m. tipoff.

Forward Stephen Rogers, shown warming up in this video, said "we will see" when he was asked if he will play. Rogers has a sore right knee.

...

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the BYU Cougars during their last game against St. Mary's, and the result was a WCC-opening 98-82 loss to the Gaels.
But BYU big man Brandon Davies played well, scoring a career-high 28 points on 11 of 18 shooting. He also had seven rebounds and five steals. The performance was a precursor of things to come, as the 6-9 junior has put together a phenomenal WCC season.
Davies will be a huge key to tonight's game (7 p.m., ESPNU) as the Cougars look to avenge that 16-point loss.
"We are all expecting to play well. We got to play better than we did out there. That includes myself and everyone else on the team," Davies said.
...

BYU basketball coach Dave Rose says he believes his team is better than it was a month ago when it fell 98-82 to No. 21 St. Mary's in Moraga, Calif. The rematch is Saturday night at the Marriott Center, and a sellout crowd of 22,700 is expected.

...

BYU forward Noah Hartsock talks about Saturday's showdown with No. 21 St. Mary's at the Marriott Center....

BYU guard Brock Zylstra talks about the importance of the Cougars' next two WCC games -- against St. Mary's on Saturday night and against Gonzaga next Thursday -- for BYU's hopes of getting an NCAA Tournament bid.

...

After allowing reporters to talk to players and coaches prior to practice on Friday at the Marriott Center, BYU basketball coach Dave Rose closed the actual practice itself to the media as the Cougars made final preparations for Saturday night's humongous game against No. 20/21 ranked St. Mary's (7 p.m. MST, ESPNU).
Rose said that junior wing Stephen Rogers would practice a little bit on Friday, after having done some practicing on Thursday, but is not expected to play against the Gaels. Rogers' right knee is still sore and partly swollen from his torn meniscus surgery in December.
Rogers is "really trying to push through this. Hopefully we can get him back here in the next week o...

Football signing day is right around the corner (Wednesday, Feb. 1, to be exact) and as usual we've got you covered as far as BYU's 2012 class is concerned.
Check out Sunday's Tribune for a complete list of players who are expected to sign with BYU on Wednesday, and some details about each prospect.
If you can't wait, a lot of the information will be posted online as early as Friday night.
On the BYU football recruiting front, it has been a slow month, a slow couple of months, actually, as recruiting for the 2012 class was pretty much wrapped up by October.
The Cougars have one last scholarship to give out, and it appears that one will go to Theodore King, a defensive...

BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall is losing one of his prized graduate assistants. Shaun Nua, a former Cougar player who has been a G.A. the past three seasons, has accepted a full-time job on Navy's staff as a defensive line coach.
Nua graduated from BYU in 2005 and spent four years in the NFL before returning to his alma mater.
"Shaun is a bright and enthusiastic coach and I'm very excited to have him join our staff," said Navy head coach Ken Niumatolo in a school news release. "He is a man of character and coaches with a great deal of passion. I went to BYU last spring to watch a couple of spring practices and he immediately caught my attention with the way he coac...

Whether you believe the BYU basketball team is out of the NCAA Tournament as of right now (as Joe Lunardi of ESPN Bracketology fame does), or whether you believe the Cougars are among the Last Four In (as SI's Andy Glockner does in his Bracket Watch feature), you have to think that tonight's game at Virginia Tech (12-7) is huge for the Cougars (17-5).
Here's my preview of tonight's game, which tips off at 5 p.m. MST and can only be viewed on ESPN3 (online only).
Looks like Virginia Tech...

Congratulations to the BYU women's basketball team for cracking the national rankings for the first time in five years. The Cougars (18-3) are tied for No. 23 in the Associated Press Top 25, which was released Monday morning.
BYU's men's basketball team (17-5) is not ranked in either poll, and is no longer receiving votes in either after falling to Loyola Marymount last Thursday. The Cougars are no longer considered an NCAA Tournament team in Joe Lunard's Bracketology report, either.
The Cougars are among Lunardi's "First Four Out" in this week's projections.
It all makes Wednesday's nonconference game at Virginia Tech of the ACC even more important for the Cougars, but co...

Lost somewhat in BYU's 77-64 win over Pepperdine on Saturday in breathtakingly gorgeous Malibu, Calif., was the fact that senior forward Noah Hartsock joined the Cougar's 1,000-point club. With 20 points against the Waves -- his eighth game of 20 or more points this season, and ninth in his career -- Hartsock now has 1,003 career points and is the 43rd player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau.
Hartsock is No. 43 on BYU's all-time scoring list; He can catch Dave Eastis (1,015 points) on Wednesday when the Cougars play at Virginia Tech, although scoring a lot of points on the defensive-minded Hokies is going to be difficult for all the players.
Tipoff for that g...

The Cougars bounced back nicely here in beautiful Malibu, Calif, on Saturday night, whipping Pepperdine 77-64 after suffering that humilating loss to Loyola Marymount in Provo on Thursday.
The story of the game was Brandon Davies, who made 15 of 18 free throw attempts and finished with a career-high 29 points. His previous high was 28 at St. Mary's a few weeks ago.
Noah Hartsock added 20 points and surpassed the 1,000-point plateau for his career. Hartsock now has 1,003 points, the 43rd Cougar in the school's 1,000-point club.
In typical Hartsock fashion, he joked that it only took him four years to do what Jimmer Fredette did in one (Fredette had 1,068 points last season)...

Great basketball teams find ways to win games when they aren't shooting well, especially on their home court. That's what BYU coach Dave Rose said Thursday night after the Cougars were ambushed 82-68 at the Marriott Center by Loyola Marymount -- a team that's better than its 11-8 record.
Obviously, the Cougars couldn't pull off the feat.
"We need to shoot better than that to win. But I still think the nights that you are not shooting [well] you can still find ways to win games. Tonight we didn't do that," Rose said.
Here's my game story from last night with all the gory det...

Some people in Utah's Canyons School District apparently believe BYU's mascot is offensive to middle-aged women.
As reported in this story by the state's Fox-TV affiliate, Ch. 13, the Canyons' board rejected the mascot "Cougars" for the new high school in Draper that will be known as Corner Canyon High School. The new school will draw students that currently attend Alta High and will open in 2013.
They will call themselves the Corner Canyon Chargers.
Apparently, prospective students were polled and the majority chose Cougar...

I hope you were able to catch our college basketball page in The Tribune this morning, a page that includes some commentary and analysis sure to spark some debate among BYU fans and the state's college basketball fans in general.
I wrote about the differences BYU's basketball team is facing as a member of the West Coast Conference as opposed to the MWC in this piece. It's just not the same, obviously, although I am well aware that 1) students at USD and LMU were not back from the holiday break when their schools hosted BYU and 2) the atmospheres at St. Mary's and Gonzaga were close (SMC) or...

Less than 24 hours after handling San Diego 82-63 on Monday night, the Cougars returned to practice Tuesday as a "banged up" basketball team, in the words of coach Dave Rose.
"We are kinda banged up," Rose said. "Stephen's got a knee, Matt's hamstring is kinda sore, and Noah has some issues, Brock has an elbow [problem]. So it was a physical game, and we got some shots up -- got a lot of shots up today. We will put the game plan in for LMU tomorrow and get ready."

Rose said Stephen Rogers did not practice after apparently re-injuring his surgically repaired right knee Monday night against the Toreros. Rogers will visit a doctor later tonight.
"He's got similar pain that ...

The BYU basketball team's leading scorer, Noah Hartsock, seemingly couldn't buy a basket on Monday night at San Diego. Hartsock, known as "Old Reliable" by his teammates, was just 2 of 12 from the field and failed to score in double figures for the first time this season. He finished with seven points.
"The way things have kind of played out this year, we haven't seen that [from Hartsock]," coach Dave Rose said after the game. "That's really, as a staff, what we are really pleased with. That you take the guy who has really been your anchor, consistent all the way through, and the other team does a really good job of controlling him, but we find some other guys who can make plays and we...

They call the University of San Diego's Jenny Craig Pavilion the "Slim Gym," for obvious reasons, but tonight the only slim thing about the place was the crowd.
Only 3,204 fans -- at least half of them cheering for the visiting team, BYU -- attended the WCC game as the Cougars started slowly and then rolled past the Toreros 82-63 for their fifth straight win.
It was the third-smallest crowd to watch BYU play this season, surpassing only the 2,634 who watched them play Wisconsin in Chicago and the 3,073 at Loyola Marymount. The place holds about 5,000.
San Diego's students haven't returned to campus yet from the holiday break, and at times the place was so quiet you could h...

The BYU basketball team plays two road games this week, beginning tonight in San Diego. Saturday, the Cougars will return to California to take on Pepperdine in Malibu. In between, BYU will play host to Loyola Marymount at the Marriott Center on Thursday.
In other words, this will be a busy week -- one the players love because they get to play games more than practice for them.
"We will take playing over practicing any day of the week," said guard Brock Zylstra.
The Cougars are heavy favorites -- 14 points, last time I checked -- tonight against the Toreros, after having swamped San Diego on New Year's Eve in Provo.
Still, coach Dave Rose said USD is playing better...

Here are the first few minutes of BYU basketball coach Dave Rose's comments to the media after the Cougars' 95-78 win over Santa Clara on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012.

...

BYU's leading scorers in its 95-78 win over Santa Clara -- Brandon Davies (left), Noah Hartsock (middle) and Matt Carlino (right) talk about the victory. The trio combined for 65 points, which each player scoring 21 or more....

BYU coach Dave Rose figured the Cougars needed to play reasonably well offensively on Saturday night against high-scoring, 3-point loving Santa Clara, and they did.
BYU shot 56.9 percent from the field (60.0 percent in the second half) and rolled up 95 points in a 95-78 win over the Broncos in front of 16,116 at the Marriott Center tonight.
Rose knew the Broncos would make baskets, and the visitors did in the first half, going 6 of 11 from 3-point range and shooting 50 percent overall. But the Cougars clamped down better defensively in the second half, forcing Santa Clara to shoot 41.4 percent after the break, and won their fourth straight game.
" I thought that it was a r...

If he had a chance to knock on wood, Bronco Mendenhall probably would have. In his chat with reporters Wednesday, the BYU football coach said that as of mid-January, the only player who is leaving the football program for good is quarterback Jake Heaps.
"But I have been head coach long enough to know that, man, a lot changes," Mendenhall said. " Based on how spring goes, based on just life choices, academics can certainly play a role. But it seems to be the least volatile team. When I stood in front of them for our first team meeting after the bowl, and I looked out there, man, not many problems. So I don't expect many things, like in terms of transfers."
Mendenhall said safet...

BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall said Wednesday that the Cougar football program will host about 20 recruits on campus this weekend in preparation for signing day, which is on Feb. 1 this year.
Eighteen of those players have already committed and/or signed. Among the players who have already signed are juco transfer Marques Johnson and the two quarterbacks who have already enrolled after transferring from Stanford and SUU, respectively, Taysom Hill and Ammon Olsen.
Mendenhall said Wednesday that BYU's increased exposure, primarily due to its ESPN television contract, has sparked more interest in the school from players who are not members of the LDS Church.

BYU announced Wednesday that senior offensive tackle Matt Reynolds will play in the 87th East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 21 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Kickoff is at 2 p.m. MST and the game will be televised live on the NFL Network.
Reynolds joins an elite list of football greats who have played in the game, including 62 NFL Hall of Famers. Fifty-two players currently on active NFL rosters played in the game.

The website Stadiumjourney.com recently posted a review of BYU's LaVell Edwards Stadium. Check that out here for an up close look at the home of the Cougars.

----...

BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall answered several questions about the Cougars' future football schedules during his roundtable discussion with reporters on Wednesday, and basically said that scheduling is getting a little less difficult after a rough first year of independence that included a generally awful home schedule in November,
Mendenhall pretty much echoed what athletic director Tom Holmoe told me the day before the Armed Forces Bowl -- that things will get better in the scheduling department if BYU stays independent for the long haul.
Although reporters who have talked to Utah athletic director Chris Hill recently continue to suggest that the Utah-BYU football riv...

As you probably know now if you follow me on Twitter (@drewjay), BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall sat down with reporters who cover the Cougar football program today for about 45 minutes, and answered a variety of questions. Certainly, I will have more bits and pieces from Mendenhall's interview in the coming hours and days.
But the most newsworthy revelation from Mendenhall today was that he was recently offered a head coaching job at a Division I school (after the 2011 season ended) and decided to turn it down, after consulting with his wife, Holly.
In response to a question I asked him about his job satisfaction, Mendenhall said:
"Holly and I, over the past, and I am ...

I took a little flak in some corners a few weeks ago when I wrote that BYU's football team had a chance to finished the season in the rankings if it could beat Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl and get to 10 wins in 2011.
Thanks to USC being on probation and not eligible to be ranked in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll, my prediction proved accurate.
The Cougars are No. 25 in the final coaches poll.
They are not ranked in the final AP Poll (USC is No. 6), but are the top team among those teams also receiving votes and would be No. 26 if the poll extended that far.
It is the fifth time in the last six years that BY...