Utah beat interstate rival BYU 76-73 in overtime Saturday, completing a regular season in which the Utes lost to all the teams that finished above them in the Big 16 standings, and won against teams beneath them.
Utah junior guard Matyson Wilke hit the winning 3-pointer from halfcourt as time expired. I watched that video highlight many times, more than I watch favorite cat videos.
With 7 seconds left, BYU freshman guard Delaney Gibb (a lock to win freshman of the year, right? Gibb was so good against us, it made me wonder why the Canadian chose to attend BYU) met typical outstanding defense from Jenna, lost the handle, Maty went baseline-to-midcourt. Then she was mobbed.
Not a long clip, so it’s easy to watch it repeatedly. It could be the last time we see this group happy.
I think we peaked about a month ago. The loss to Oklahoma State, which in effect killed our chance for a double-bye, gave me a sinking feeling.
The Kansas/Texas Tech game, which determines our opponent, and our Rd. 2 game against them, both tip off at 6 p.m. Pacific time. Which is damned inconvenient, because I lecture at chess clubs at 7 Wed., and 6:30 Thurs. Whether I take these nights off from teaching, or hope to watch an unspoiled ESPN+ replay, dunno.