June isn’t here yet, but a November to remember is already in the works as BYU football, basketball, cross-country, soccer and volleyball will combine to make the 11th month of the year the best of the 12.
Men’s basketball is making the most late-May noise with an unfolding schedule that is unlike anything BYU has seen before and a glimpse of things to come.
November’s mega-showdowns include Villanova (Nov. 3) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas; UConn (Nov. 15) at TD Garden in Boston; Wisconsin, Nov. 21 at the Delta Center (Salt Lake) and Miami/Georgetown or Dayton (Nov. 27-28) at Disney World in Orlando.
The big start to Kevin Young’s second season at BYU gives him a trumpet to sound — and he is playing the same strategic song to a pair of different audiences.
First, with AJ Dybantsa, Richie Saunders, Rob Wright and company, Young knows his roster has Final Four and NBA potential, and facing this kind of schedule early in the season will provide benefits at the end of it.
Second, Young is sending a message to his future Cougars — those highly touted prospects still weighing their options. He wants them to know these are the kind of games they will play, venues they will play in, and that BYU provides the best platform to showcase their talents.
It’s an unprecedented win-win scenario for Young, even if the Cougars sustain a few losses along the way. In just over 12 months, the former Suns assistant-head coach has BYU basketball sitting as high as No. 3 in the early rankings and he’s doing his scheduling part to make November a month unlike any other on campus.
In addition to basketball’s head-turning slate, Kalani Sitake’s football program will play Big 12 contender Texas Tech in Lubbock (Nov. 8), TCU (Nov. 15), at Cincinnati (Nov. 22) and UCF (Nov. 29) on Thanksgiving weekend.
Men’s and women’s cross-country will defend their national championships on Nov. 22 in Columbia, Missouri. Soccer will headline the Big 12 championships (Nov. 3-8) in Kansas City and women’s volleyball will face Utah twice, Nov. 14 in Salt Lake City and Nov. 26 in Provo.
In comparison to an Oreo cookie, November is the cream in the middle and it’s double-stuff. October and December are like the chocolate wafers — delicious in their own unique way.
October brings the BYU-Utah football game (Oct. 18) to LaVell Edwards Stadium and a basketball exhibition against North Carolina (TBA) at the Delta Center. December boasts the Big 12 championship game, College Football Playoff and a basketball clash against Clemson (Dec. 9) at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Not to sell short the significance of August and September, when everything gets started, but the next three appear as a trifecta of delight with November making a case for the 11th month of the year to be the best of the 12.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com