Big-Time Props to B.Y.U!!!

[AZ Shocker]

Great game to watch!!! BYU is a really...REALLY good team!!! Played hard and gave the Shockers an AWESOME game!!! I knew they were talented...but man....if they play that way all year....they will be BIG-TIME come March!!! BYU fans....be proud and implore your team to kick butt!!!

[WuDrWu]

I've liked BYU since Danny Ainge beat Notre Dame back in, I can't remember, 1847?

Unless they're playing WSU, USU or somebody we need to win, I will support the Cougars.

The effort of the Austin kid to wait for Baker and apologize is remarkable and a move we should all point to as a learning lesson. Well done young man.

That being said, I was not impressed with their coach, either in preparation or execution. His use of timeouts is laughable and he better start developing some depth. Also, is there any reason they dressed like 11 kids and played like, 7? That's not going to bode well for late season success in my humble opinion.

As for the jackwagon behind me all game....I suppose I'll choose to remember that the vast majority of BYU fans I met were very classy.

[AZ Shocker]

BYU fans are very classy. The elbow to Baker's head was so incidental. Baker took in like a man....and the BYU guy showed great sportsmanship trying to help him up. Good team....great test for my SHOCKERS!!!!!!

[jocoshock]

They are a very impressive team. Great win for the Sox. Will pay dididends down the road.

[ShockRef]

"The elbow to Baker's head was so incidental."

Incidental?

Alrighty.

That is all.

[SB Shock]

"The elbow to Baker's head was so incidental."

Incidental?

Alrighty.

That is all.

Yeah, nobody thought it was incidental. I'm sure he felt bad after he realized he had got caught.

My feeling there was some "stuff" as retribution as got frustrated with WSU defense and tenacity. I liked how when BYU tried to bully WSU, WSU rose to situation with a quiet determiness and matched their physicality and just turned it up a notch.

"You don't want to go to WAR WITH THE SHOCKERS!!!!!!

[I_Vector_Wu]

BYU fans are very classy. The elbow to Baker's head was so incidental. Baker took in like a man....and the BYU guy showed great sportsmanship trying to help him up. Good team....great test for my SHOCKERS!!!!!!

"Yeaahhhh, ummmm, I'm gonna have to disagree with you on that one Bob" (Office Space).
If your "go to" move in the heat of battle (away from the ball) is to throw your elbow upwards toward the head and then try for seconds, then I think you have some underlying issues there, said Dr. Phil. Apology or not it was devoid of class.

I'm getting tired of seeing Ron Bakers' head used as target practice.

[lemuel777]

Elbow to the head incidental? I don't think so. The second one was swung so hard the guy fell when Baker's head was not there after the first blow. I just love how the Shockers react to crap by not reacting and staying cool. Love it.

[Shoxthemonkey]

Glad to see that some others saw what I saw. I watched BYU closely against UT, I figured WSU would get them next. #5 Collinsworth pushed a Texas guard to the floor right in front of me at the start of a UT fastbreak. After that I kept an eye on him and that turns out to be his style. Tugging jerseys and shorts or pushing/shoving when the ball is out of his zone are the way he plays defense. And nobody from BYU whined more than he did whenever he got caught. I, for one, won't give them any props. Go back to Utah and lick your wounds, punks.

[pinstripers]

BYU fans are very classy. The elbow to Baker's head was so incidental. Baker took in like a man....and the BYU guy showed great sportsmanship trying to help him up. Good team....great test for my SHOCKERS!!!!!!

BULLSH1T !!!!!!! He peeked over his shoulder before he threw it. It was measured, intentional, and repeated. Watch the GD tape!

[shock]

Here's what I saw. Ron was coming in low and Austin was going to box out, and didn't get low. These byu kids are older and stronger than most any white boy teams. They are less athletic, more mature, and more physical because of it. I think Austin boxes out with pure strength and less leverage. Baker was already in better position and was coming in hard. Austin went high in order to muscle baker out and went too high. I think it was an accident. As far as him falling over on the second one, it takes a lot of strength to box out a d1 athlete. A lot. It doesn't take much for an unathletic white boy to fall over when he shifts his weight into a player that wasn't there.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

1st, you cant say it was incidental.

2nd, i dont think it was malicious. If you watch ANY play in basketball, you will see the look over to see where your box out respinsibilty is .

3rd, he clearly had elbows up, and the second attempt looked more like instinct after feeling Baker getting around him on the first one.

4th, it was clearly the right call, and he was classy to not only apologize on the court to Baker, in front of the cameras, but afterwards away from them also.

[RoyalShock]

Here's what I saw. Ron was coming in low and Austin was going to box out, and didn't get low. These byu kids are older and stronger than most any white boy teams. They are less athletic, more mature, and more physical because of it. I think Austin boxes out with pure strength and less leverage. Baker was already in better position and was coming in hard. Austin went high in order to muscle baker out and went too high. I think it was an accident. As far as him falling over on the second one, it takes a lot of strength to box out a d1 athlete. A lot. It doesn't take much for an unathletic white boy to fall over when he shifts his weight into a player that wasn't there.

I totally agree with this.

That guy boxed out like we were taught to box out back in the day. But at the same time, you need to know there isn't an opposing players's head in the way. A flagrant foul was the right call but I don't think it was intentional.

Regarding what many of you are saying was a 2nd attempt at Baker's head, I challenge you to stand up, have someone throw you off-balance to the back just a little bit and see what the first thing you do with your arms are. You'll throw them back as a reflex to try and regain balance. I don't believe that was intentional either.

[pinstripers]

Both were intentional. Watch the friggin tape.

[Slalomshocker]

Put me in the camp that doesn't believe there was malicious intent. I agree with DSB on all 4 points made. The 2nd elbow was feeling for the defender and losing his balance when it wasn't there. Austin went high and wide with his box out, whether he knew he had a shorter defender coming or not....only he knows. In my opinion a F-1 would have been acceptable as I believe it was his 5th anyway.

All that said, BYU was scrappy and very talented, but I did see a lot of "cheapies"