BYU Creates Selection Sunday Experience To Fulfill NCAA Tournament Dream
Mar 15, 2020, 8:17 PM | Updated: 8:19 pm
Brigham Young Cougars head coach Mark Pope looks at the BYU student section after defeating the Utah State Aggies 68-64 in the Beehive Classic at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. (Colter Peterson, Deseret News)
(Colter Peterson, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – Everyone understands the importance of stopping the spread of the Coronavirus, so canceling major sporting events such as the NCAA Tournament is understandable in these tough times. But it’s still not easy to see March Madness removed from the calendar.
BYU basketball had achieved a dream that they had been working towards the past five years by earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament. But they weren’t able to fulfill that dream by hearing their team name announced during CBS’ Selection Sunday broadcast.
BYU head coach Mark Pope made sure he could give his guys that experience.
Pope tweeted out a video that featured the Selection Sunday graphics from the broadcast and CBS’ Greg Gumbel, Clark Kellogg, and Seth Davis discussing BYU’s bid to the dance.
Our team has been dreaming of Selection Sunday since May—our Seniors have been working to earn it for years! Thanks to Greg Gumbel, @ClarkKelloggCBS, and @SethDavis for letting us see and feel what today could have been. Enjoy. Everyone stay safe. Love you Cougar Nation! pic.twitter.com/C9BuW7ceDR
— Mark Pope (@CoachMarkPope) March 16, 2020
“Next up on the board on this Selection Sunday, the Cougars of BYU,” said Gumbel.
“High octane offense personified. Spurtability in spades,” said Kellogg. “They shot the three, older, veteran team, nothing’s going to faze them. And then Yoeli Childs, they’ve got a back to the future big who can eat big time in that paint area. A tough out will be the Cougars.”
“Clark, I totally agree as you know, I’ve loved this BYU team all season long,” said Davis. “The best three-point shooting team in the nation with Jake Toolson, TJ Haws, and Alex Barcello firing from three around Childs on the inside and I’m telling you, Clark, if BYU makes the run through the bracket that I expect, the mustache on Zac Seljaas is going to be the most famous basketball mustache since Larry Bird! I like BYU as my sleeper pick to make it to Atlanta. This is a very, very good team.”
As of last week, prior to the cancelations, CBS was expected to have a camera at BYU’s Selection Sunday party. But that is no more.
BYU finished the 2019-20 season with a 24-8 record and a No. 14 ranking the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
