Anticipation — the lesson the Cougars can learn from ketchup

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BYU Cougars forward Mawot Mag (0) and guard Egor Demin (3) talk amongst their teammates during an NCAA men’s basketball game against the Arizona State Sun Devils held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Remember the commercial in 1976 about Heinz ketchup? The spot featured Carly Simon’s song “Anticipation” and focused on how long it took for the ketchup to pour out of the bottle. The pitch line included, “Think how good it’s going to taste when it finally gets there.”

The ad sold a lot of ketchup and consumers ate it up.

As a ketchup connoisseur, I thought of that Heinz ad while watching BYU struggle in consecutive conference games — losing 86-55 at No. 12 Houston and 72-67 to Texas Tech. Like it or not, waiting for these Cougars to arrive in the Big 12 is going to take a little more time.

Despite their determined efforts, the Cougars look like a team that has a new coach, new staff and new roster — and while they try to figure things out on the court, they are facing teams that already have. It’s not an excuse for poor shooting and a lack of rebounding, it just is what it is.

Houston and Texas Tech aren’t adjusting to a new system or still tinkering with their rotations. Their top guns are sinking shots, and their big boys are crashing the boards. They know who they are and when it matters most, they play like it.

The Cougars were outmatched at Houston, but they were capable of beating Texas Tech at the Marriott Center. BYU, however doomed itself by missing nine free throws, 18 3-point shots, and suffering significant defensive breakdowns down the stretch.

A pair of defeats in the Big 12 isn’t the end of the world. BYU lost eight conference games last year and still earned a six seed in the NCAA Tournament. But anticipation and anxiety don’t live very far from each other — and fans are getting anxious.

The Cougars are a team that is still waiting for the light to go on. Highly touted freshman guards…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/anticipation-lesson-cougars-learn-ketchup-215049678.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2025-01-09 21:50:00

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