This was the taunt the cougar-faithful were chanting to the SDSU Aztecs by the end of a gloriously exciting and also nerve-wracking adventure at the Marriott Center tonight in what many in college basketball were saying was purported to be the biggest game of the season in the nation up to this point. Two top-10 teams, hacking it out for the number-1 spot in the conference. And I was lucky enough to actually be in attendance at this blessed event! I'm SO lucky, and SO blessed! So I thought I'd blog about the experience. Also, I'm seriously high as a kite right now from the win and I need an outlet for my excitment. I'm looking online to see what is being said about BYU and by who because I'm just reveling in the glory of the moment. I have to admit I get a little depressed when my team lets me down, but when they win, oooh buddy! I win too! I'm just so proud of my boys-in-blue and so proud to be a Cougar myself. Blogging about it will either calm me down so I can get to bed, or it will just stir me up again and I'll be wasted tomorrow. So I guess we'll see what happens...
Here's a re-hash of the events of the evening:
First half: Daniel almost poops his pants and half of his nails are bitten off from elevated anxiety levels on account of the game being so evenly matched. A very low-scoring, very defense-driven game. Jimmer worked well with the double-team by dishing it off to teammates who were equal to the task of sharing the load. The refs let the guys play by not calling a lot of ticky-tack fouls and calling it pretty evenly on both sides... at least for the first half. The Aztecs definitely threw the Cougars off their normal game plan, forcing us to slow the pace and playing just as good defense as we did offense. And even though they kept us from playing our usual fast-paced score-on-you-when-you-blink can't-stop-Jimmer-any-better-than-a-freight-train style, we were doing a great job keeping it close. Jimmer ended the half with 20 points. Not too shabby. Not at all.
Second half: The Cougars come out running, but so do the Aztecs. When we started to pull ahead they would put a stop to it and come back again. In fact, I read on espn.com that there were 15 lead changes throughout the game. Then there were the refs. There were multiple blatant fouls committed by the Aztecs that otherwise would have led to probably 20 points from the free-throw line. But the Mountain West, it seems, has it out for the people in Provo. They would allow gross fouls when we had the ball on one end, then call the most controversial fouls on the other end against us. Not equally called. It was a very good thing I wasn't within 15 rows of the court because I definitely had a moment of rage when I was screaming myself hoarse and, given the chance, quite possibly may have aimed a full water bottle at the head of one of the officials. This continued until about the last 2 minutes when we pulled ahead by 6, at which point my heart rate started to slow down a little. SDSU made a few critical errors... like fouling Jimmer Fredette, who, as we all know, MAKES. EVERY. FREE-THROW.
By the time we closed out the game with a 13 point victory I was able to just soak in the moment. My first game attended at the Marriott Center this season was not a disappointment, but an incredible triumph. My team did it. Despite having played a very intense, very physical, and not to mention very lop-sidedly called game, my boys-in-blue came out on top and we all walked out the building with our heads held high.
What's that you ask? Was it worth the slight tickle in my throat that will more than likely lead to no voice at all tomorrow? Most definitely.
Here are a few facts for you on the game tonight:
- BYU came into the game No. 9
- SDSU came in No. 4
- Mountain West conference has never had 2 top-1o teams
- Sold-out crowd of over 22,700 fans
- There were more blocks (5) than fouls (3) in the first 14 minutes of play
- Jimmer ended up with 43 points on the night
- The rematch in San Diego is already sold out
'Nuff said, I think.
I love being a Cougar!!!
Well, I guess the verdict is I think blogging about all of this has gotten me re-psyched out again, but I think I'm so tuckered out from all the excitement, I just might actually get some sleep tonight.
