BYU coach Roger Reid gave a practical answer when asked which team he'd rather face first in the WAC Tournament.
"The one I can beat," he said.That shouldn't be a problem, as long as the 25th-ranked Cougars don't face Utah - the only Western Athletic Conference team they failed to defeat this season. For that matter, outside of the Utes, only one other WAC team did manage to knock off the Cougs - New Mexico.
If conference co-champion BYU is to win its third straight tourney title, they might have to get past the Lobos, who edged them in Albuquerque last Saturday with a three-point barrage. Assuming BYU and UNM win their Thursday games, they would meet Friday.
Before they can get another crack at the Lobos, however, BYU must deal with the winner of Wednesday's opening game between No. 7 seed Hawaii and No. 10 seed Air Force. That doesn't sound too intimidating, except that the Rainbow Warriors caused the 23-7 Cougars some problems this season, including taking them into overtime at the Marriott Center. And even the Falcons scare Reid at tournament time.
"It doesn't shock me anytime when a lesser seed beats a higher seed in a tournament like this," Reid said. "The top seeds usually have nothing to gain. The lower seeds have everything to gain and nothing to lose."
In past years BYU has come into the tourney needing a couple of wins to ensure an NCAA Tournament berth, but this year the Cougars seem like a lock to continue their season next week. That might seem to put them at a motivational disadvantage, but Reid doesn't think he'll have a hard time getting his team ready.
"The motivation is we have another basketball game and you're competing against other athletes," he said. "You're not an athlete, you're not a team if you can't go out and give your best effort."
BYU has given its best efforts in recent WAC tourneys. The Cougs have won this event the past two years, even if it did take a 50-foot shot from Kevin Nixon to knock off UTEP last season. And Reid gave his team a rare day off Monday, so they should be fresh.
One thing Reid isn't counting on is a homecourt advantage. For one thing, he's never seen the Delta Center and his team has never played there. For another, the coach isn't sure how many Cougar fans will turn out. And when the fans are filled with anything but BYU fans, they usually opt to root against the boys in blue.
"I'd just as soon be playing at Colorado State or Fresno State," Reid said.
One player Reid can probably count on to have a solid tourney run is center Gary Trost. The All-WAC first-teamer has made the all-tourney squad the past two years, playing some of the best basketball of his career in these games.