The further and further we get from BYU's frustrating first-round loss to the Texas Longhorns, the more and more we question what happened. This was the year for the Cougars to make a serious charge in the NCAA Tournament. They might have only been the No. 6 seed, but Texas played in the First Four. After handling the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday night, guess who is off to the Sweet 16?
Although the team's best player in one AJ Dybantsa could deliberate about entering the NBA Draft, there should be no debate. The guy is every bit the lottery pick. Even though BYU may once again try to back up the Brinks truck to get another marquee player to come to Provo out of high school, likely losing Dybantsa to the NBA Draft after only one game in the tournament cannot sit well with anyone.
This was a great season for the Big 12 as a whole, and BYU was very much at the forefront of it. That being said, the fact that it is Texas coming out of Portland makes it all the much worse. Although the Longhorns did get a tough draw in the Sweet 16, we all know what Matt Painter is capable of on the sidelines leading Purdue. This is a great Big Ten basketball program that lives to disappoint in March.
It is really such a shame that BYU could not do enough around Dybantsa to have a shot at any title...
BYU is dealing with the harsh reality of wasting AJ Dybantsa's one season
With how strong teams like Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, and Kansas have looked so far in the NCAA Tournament, maybe the upper echelon of the Big 12 is a cut above the rest? We know that teams like Duke, Florida, and Michigan loom large atop their respective conferences, but the Big 12 has teams that just love to smack people around. If BYU played more together, maybe it could still be dancing?
As it is with anything, it is all about the matchups this time of year. BYU may have run into an emerging buzzsaw in Texas. Frankly, there may not have been much the Cougars could have done about it. Just ask the North Carolina State Wolfpack before them about how the First Four in Dayton went, or how Mark Few and the Gonzaga guys are doing, now that they are fully back in Spokane after Saturday...
In the end, this season for BYU will go down as one of great promise, but ultimately one of great disappointment. Yes, Cougar fans can cheer on Dybantsa at the next level, but his time in Provo did not need to end this soon. For now, BYU athletics seem to be in a good spot across the board, but how does the school take it up a notch, whether that is on the football gridiron or basketball court?
At this time, BYU can only blame itself for not taking Texas as seriously as it should have in round one.