Dick Harmon: New Mexico is the carrier of BYU's poison cup

Fredette banked on trying to make something happen. He also invested his body that he'd go to the line. He did, making 12 of 12. If you polled the crowd, he should have shot 10 more from the stripe. He had a finger scrape on his left arm near his elbow crease, pink shoulders and forearms. He kept checking his appendages like he couldn't believe they were still attached to sinew.

Fredette scored 25 of BYUs first 31 points in the second half. The Noah Hartsock and Charles Abouo show, who wore hero robes in San Diego, could not repeat.

Trailing 65-43 with 9:28 left in the game, Jackson Emery reached around and knocked the ball from Dariese Gary and earned a foul. In frustration, he emotionally ran to the other end of the court and hit the wall mat. Rose took him out and he kicked over a chair.

So, this is what losing felt like.

The game had turned into an exercise in aggravation, frustration and annoyance for the home team and crowd, who reacted to calls and non-calls with fury and anger.

The BYU loss robbed the Cougars of cutting down the nets as undisputed MWC champion. They can now celebrate a shared title Saturday with a win over Wyoming.

It will also rattle BYU's No. 3 ranking, shake up No. 1 seed chatter and give Dave Rose plenty to think about in the next few days.

Losing.

It is not fun.

But with the Lobos, the carriers of BYU's poison cup, it has almost become a given.

e-mail: dharmon@desnews.com

twitter: harmonwrites