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Read these 2 quotes and tell me if you believe what Jimmy Balderson and Dave Rose are saying about the game against UCLA tonight.

“It’s a historic building, it’s a historic team,” said senior guard Jimmy Balderson. “You dream about playing in games like this when you’re a kid. This is exactly how we want to start the year. We want to play the best because we want to be the best. We have high expectations and we want to play a good team.”[emphasis added]

“The first game out, I think we need to play someone that will challenge us and we can find out where we’re really at,” Rose said. “This will be a challenge. It’s a situation where we have a lot of work to do. We’ll be a lot better team in December than we are right now. But it will give us a pretty good idea of where we are.”[emphasis added]

Can you really believe that BYU wants to play the #6 team in the nation for their first game? Look at the following 2 scenarios.

Scenario 1 - BYU Loses
Losing is never good for a team. Sometimes teams make the most of it, but losing your first game of the season after working so hard all off season in my book will never be a good thing. In fact, losing the first game can be depressing for a team. Even against an opponent that is much better than you, a loss is still depressing. I would suggest that losing to a great time is even harder because it can totally kill your confidence. It can make a team feel like they are even worse than they really are. Either way, I dont’ think this is “exactly” how you want to start the season or that you “need” to play someone that will be a challenge for your first game.

Scenario 2 - BYU Wins
Of course this is the preferred scenario of the 2. I know I would enjoy this and I have to admit that it is possible that a win like this could give a team a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. However, it also sets a tough standard for the rest of the season. If we later go on to lose to a mediocre team like Utah (I had to throw that jab in there) then everyone will say what happened to the team that beat UCLA? A win against this team tonight will make us think that we have a team that’s going to go far in the NCAA tournament. However, being realistic that only sets us up for disappointment. Without a miracle, I think the best we can hope for this year is a win or two in the NCAA tournament. Anything more and I’ll be calling it a miracle and getting some more food storage.