PROVO, UtahΒ β Because they were already packing the Marriott Center student section on Saturday for a rivalry game with Utah, BYU students could have just stuck around in campsites outside the arena in anticipation of Arizonaβs arrival.
But, no.
BYU started forbidding overnight student camping before games this season, according to students Will Taylor, Jake Carlson and X Mitchell, who stood at the front of a secondary line β¦ because that was where the new random system put them.
The only upside was that the rule kept them from having to camp out as temperatures dipped into the teens Sunday night, but that wasnβt much consolation.
βThatβs what I wanted to do,β Carlson said.
The three students instead were subject to a random lottery that assigned them behind 3,000 other students, and instructions not to arrive until 4:30 p.m.Β β 2Β½ hours before tipoff.
From left, BYU students Will Taylor, Jake Carlson and X Mitchell said they wanted to camp out in 10-degree temps but a new BYU policy wouldnβt let them. They couldnβt show up until the afternoon, assigned randomly to a second group.
They showed up at 1 p.m. anyway and managed to get seats three rows up from the court thanks to friends who saved them seats.
Kenpom liked Cats, too
While remaining a unanimous pick atop the Associated Press Top 25 poll Monday for the second straight week, the Wildcats also took over the top spot in Kenpom's rankings entering Monday's game.
The Wildcats hadn't previously been atop those rankings all season. While the AP poll is reflective of a team's resume to date, Kenpom's analytic-based rankings are predictive for future games.
Banged up
Arizona continues to cruise deep into the season without a single rotation player having missed a game so far, but BYU has had it much bumpier.
Already with several reserve players out for Monday's game against Arizona, BYU listed starting wing Kennard Davis as questionable to play against the Wildcats on the Big 12's official player availability report Sunday evening. BYU then listed Davis as a game-time decision on Monday, though Davis wound up playing.
The five reserves BYU listed as definitively out were forward Brody Kozlowski, guard KJ Perry, guard Nate Pickens, guard Dawson Baker and center Xavion Staton.
Baker is out for the season with a torn ACL, while injuries to Pickens, Kozlowski and Staton have not been disclosed. Perry is a midyear enrollee who is sitting out the season.
No Sunday prep
Having games on Saturday and Monday is tough enough for college basketball teams, but for BYU, it's even trickier.
Under school policy, the Cougars are not allowed to practice or even enter the Marriott Center on Sundays. Their policy always negates them from being assigned a Friday-Sunday NCAA Tournament pairing, and once led the WCC Tournament to break entirely on Sundays before BYU left that conference.
But it didnβt stop the Big 12 from sticking them with a game against Utah on Saturday and a Big Monday game with Arizona.
Still, BYU coach Kevin Young spoke of an upside.
βI actually like when the regular season schedule gets funky because I think it prepares you well for the postseason,β Young said before Monday's game. βYou never know how quick your turnarounds are going to be, especially when you have to do it and get ready to play a good team, which is whatβll happen in March."
Sweet teeth
What the Marriott Center may lack in wine, beer or cocktailsΒ β the standard indulgences in most other Big 12 venuesΒ β it makes up for in sugar.
Cougar Tails are ready to go before the UA-BYU game. Over 1,500 of the long maple bars were expected to sell out as usual.
Among treats on offer Monday: Cinnamon roasted almonds from the βNutfather,β eight types of Ameliaβs Swedish Candy, seven cup options of Brucieβs Berries and two flavors of Milkshake Madness (Earnestly Chocolate and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough).
Also, fans could get a cup of frozen goodness from the BYU creamery, choosing from cookies and cream, raspberry and cream cheese, and "Graham Canyon."
There were plenty of Cougar-branded items, too: The BYU Brownie (with or without a mint layer), Cougar Paw (chocolate-covered ice cream on a stick) and, of course, the schoolβs famous Cougar Tail (15-inch-long maple donut bars).
Cougar Paw ice cream treats.Β
Three stands sell the Cougar Tails, and each was expected to sell out their 600-odd allotments.
Itβs different
The action around Mondayβs game included a pregame prayer, and a massive curtain that dropped down from the video baord during pregame introductions, revealing the BYU cheerleading crew and lit up blue and white boards.
At halftime, about 15 guys wearing dress clothes and sneakers catapulted off trampolines to throw down dozens of dunks.
Privacy request
Fans sitting in an almost-courtside row known as the Vivint Club (admission $7,500) received a free Cougar Tail placed on their seats, and also a message.
βPlease note that Presidentβs Guests, including Church Leadership, are seated behind you,β a notice on every seat read. βWe kindly ask that you respect their privacy so they may enjoy the game with their guests.β
Those sitting in $7,500 Vivint Club seats received free Cougar Tail donuts.
Breezy
UCF students waved palm fronds at Arizona players as they shot free throws in the second half of UAβs Jan. 17 win, but BYUβs student went a more traditional route.
The students waved signs that included giant pinwheels, balloons, Taylor Swift, Tom Cruise and a bunch of Chick-fil-A cows.
No. 1 debate
ESPN and many other mock NBA Drafts have Kansas guard Darryn Peterson in the top spot, but BYU coach Kevin Young lobbied for Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa.
The former Suns assistant had the platform to do it: Dybantsa scored 43 points in the Cougarsβ 91-78 win over Utah on Saturday at the Marriott Center.
βI think heβs hands down the clear-cut No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft,β Young said. βIt was on full display (against Utah). He was doing it every which way. He came out with unfazed mentality and had a clear want to, I think, to just go out and dominate the game.β
Fans and draftniks alike wonβt have to wait long for a head-to-head comparison: BYU will travel to play at Kansas on Saturday.
Jazzed up
Several members of the Utah Jazz took in Monday's game, including former Wildcat forward Lauri Markkanen, who played at UA as a freshman in 2016-17. Jazz forward Kevin Love and Jazz CEO Danny Ainge, a BYU legend, also made the trip.
The big number
3: Margin of predicted victory for Arizona over BYU by Kenpomβs analytic engine before Mondayβs game, which the Wildcats won by three points. Kenpom also predicted Arizona would beat Kansas by three at Lawrence, Kan., and Houston by one. It does not predict any individual games UA will lose.
