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Who was the MWC kidding?

Amen Brother

I think it is really much more simple.

Utah and BYU played horrible. A&M and Arizona played great.

I will stand by that both are great and worthy to be there teams.

Great observations. Both Utah and BYU got ran over in their games. Benches weren't deep and once they took out a key player the battle was all uphill. The Conference IS better than it ever has been, and if they continue on this course, they'll all be very competitive in future tourneys. Look at the ACC and Big East...each and every game is a war within the conference, with the end result being teams that are extremely ready for the tourney because their season was like a tourney...no given wins against cellar dwelling confernce opponents.

So suddenly the whole MWC is crap because they played 2 lousy games? This is the job of the East coast folks, not a local writer- that is to jump to ridiculous conclusions on very limited information.

Utah probably had too high of a seed but last I checked one of the teams they beat is in the sweet 16. A team they absolutely trounced gave a 1 seed all they could handle yesterday. They played lousy in their tourney appearance and lost to a team that shouldn't have even been in the tourney. Does that discount everything they have done?? Of course not. It seems as if 2 other 5 seeds lost their 1st round game too (as did a #4 seed).

BYU came out flat (a disturbing late season trend)against a team shooting out of their heads and could never make up the difference. Does that mean they didn't belong and their season was a waste? Does it mean the whole MWC was terrible? Ridiculous conclusions.

I would expect this reactionary tripe from sportsboards or even a certain blonde columnist from a competing newspaper but it is very dissapointing to see from Mr Harmon.

BYU's and Utah's performances were both heartless. This should end any talk of the MWC being on par with the ACC, which you do hear from time to time.

The Utes early season losses should have really told us more than they seemed to. We didn't really make the gigantic strides that many have claimed. We were simply a bunch of seniors who had played a lot together over the last few years and should be expected to pound out 21 or 22 wins. We played a tough schedule (smart move) but we won some we should have lost and lost a few we should have won. I can't tell if the program is on the rise, or simply blipped out of sub-mediocrity for a season. I think real progress would look more like our football program, where fans can't wait to see what certain underclassmen will do this season and our depth is our strength.

No controversy. The MWC got schooled. It's obvious. Undeniable.
I just wish NCAA football was the same. Controversy abounds after the football season. Let a tourney decide football too!

No, Harmon finally got it right. After listening to people talk about the mwc all year and how awesome they are, I was wondering how and when they joined the powerhouse conferences. Head to head in football and basketball (the only 2 sports people care about), top to bottom they would get crushed against the "big boys". I'm not saying there wouldn't be an upset or two (see the Utah sugar bowl win), but top to bottom it would be pretty ugly. So please for the sake of the rest of us, quit comparing yourselves to the ACC, Big East, SEC... you're not there yet.

The author has reached sophomoric conclusions. Must have had writer's block. Facts are true, but they do not reach the conclusion. It is the old A plus B must equal C, when in reality A plus B is only A plus B.

The Utes and the Y have played great ball in recent years. USU the same. All 3 ran into buzz saws. Odds are that that can happen, and it did.

Sophomoric column, reaching for controversy. Sad that he is still employed. Very sophomoric.

Now if the author had diagnosed one of the games, etc., and pointed out problems in recruiting, etc., then the column has merit. To just run around yelling "The sky has fallen, the sky has fallen" is so..............well, sophomoric.

You're so right, the NCAA tourney isn't about match-ups or anything. Along with BYU and Utah being fakes, Wake Forest, West Virginia, Cal and FSU are all fakes too. Pretty said to say almost 1/4 of the top seeds (8 or higher) were fakes.

Wake Forest's coach said that BYU's team could compete in the ACC. I believe him.

HOWEVER, that would be the starting 5, maybe six. The problem is depth. MWC teams need more depth to compete for an entire year.

This is something that MWC football teams have faced over the years as well - but they've become deeper on the depth chart over the past two decades and once in a while a MWC team will rise to the top. Utah in 2004 and 2008 in point.

As MWC schools get deeper their success will improve. And one day.... that magical team will happen.

MWC could be more competitive if we had better "officials" in the league. Our officiating has got to be the most one sided when playing in the State of Utah.........I believe you call it MWC greed from COMM. Thompson!!!

Harmon in addition to being a BYU shill, is a sunshine patriot.

The league is actually 3-5 in post season play. wyoming lost in the first round of the CBI.

Only the truth hurts fans, and tis article is reality. Wake up, look in the mirror, we don't exist in a fantasy world. Spot on Harmon!

It was an easy shot to take and you took it. Was the MWC the only conference that got shut out? No! Did conferences with 7 teams in the dance now have 1 - Yes? - In Utah's case the article would have been more well served if there was a discussion of Utah's continual high number of turn overs. If there is one thing that coach Boylen needs to work on with his team it is to cut down turnovers! Utah needs a true point guard that is consistent. This we did not have this year. Wait, Dick does BYU. Well, I will let a true BYU fan fill in the blanks. How about Dick and article on how the term BCS has now gotten into basketball. The MWC is classified now as a mid major in both sports. How did that happen? That would have been a nice article.

You went for the easy one - you've taken it - now move on.

Sure, it's easy to look at the outcomes of the BYU and Utah games and to talk about the disaster. I only watched the last few minutes of the Utah game so I can't make assertions about the Utes, but I did watch the entire BYU game.
Look, no question BYU came out flat offensively and Cummard was pressing -- missing easy layups at the start. But A&M was shooting beyond belief. Some of their shots were open looks, but some were "just turn around and flip it toward the basket" and it would go in. No fault of the BYU defense, and if A&M had merely made half of it's first ten shots, BYU would have survived the onslaught and the game would have been much closer at the end.
So, the fact is, A&M made these shots and won the game easily, but to disredit BYU and Utah and the entire conference because some team played it's best and luckiest of the year is absurd.

I'm just glad that we haven't had any dork-fans from either side arguing about which team was better in their disappointing loss. That's probably the most unsatisfying result for most fans: you can't trash talk about 13 point losses to lower ranked teams. It should be a quiet off season on that front.

Is rediculous to try and find or make up bright spots for the MWC, let alone Utah and BYU. It is very clear they are lacking, very very poor basketball, not much talent really. Utah's only chance to improve lies clearly on Boylen, can he recruit? This program needs talent preiod, and have to say American boys. If Boylen cant bring in talent, waist no more time with him. BYU?? what else can you say? Only good in MWC?

Isn't the record 3 wins and 4 losses?