BYU Basketball: The pros and cons of the CBI

The biggest debate right now for BYU fans is whether BYU Basketball should play in the CBI if they are not invited to the NIT this upcoming Sunday.

To play or not to play.

That is the question that is surrounding the BYU Basketball team. The women’s team has a much easier time as their only question is who they will playing in the NCAA Tournament.

As of right now most metrics have BYU outside of the NIT which begs the question that is dividing homes more than a Cougar who marries a Ute. Both sides have a valid argument as to why BYU should or should continue to play. Want to know what we think? Read until the end to find out.

The Pros

There is no doubt that some of the benefits include getting Dave Rose his 20th win. In all honesty the Cougars would probably win their first, second and even the championship game (we’ll get into that later) adding wins to this year’s total.

Playing in the CBI would also give the Cougars some playing time and practice time, something that BYU Football Head Coach Kalani Sitake said was crucial when the Cougars were seeking to be bowl eligible. This side also could be a negative, which we will get into later.

Playing in a lower tier tournament could also make some of the players more humble. They would realize exactly how low they are. To make a movie reference, in Rocky III, Rocky gets humiliated by Clubber Lang (Mr. T) because Rocky was too comfortable. This in turn forced Rocky to realize where he was and train like he never had before and in the end Rocky gets his redemption. Could we see a similar story with BYU Basketball playing in the CBI?

Finally, if given the opportunity to play more games, the team would almost certainly have a better taste in their mouth than they do coming off of their game against San Diego. That could keep players from wanting to transfer and would at least build a bit more momentum going into next season; something that fans and players both need.