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BYU players celebrate a victory against Utah during a basketball game at the Marriott Center at Brigham Young University in Provo on Saturday, March 8, 2025. On Thursday afternoon, the Cougars open the NCAA Tournament against VCU in Denver. | Tess Crowley, Deseret News
BYU lost to Cincinnati on March 15, 2001, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but it was a rookie decision made the night before that may have stacked the odds even further against the underdogs.
“We were so excited,” former BYU head coach Steve Cleveland told the “Y’s Guys” podcast this week. “I can still remember the night before the tournament. We had access to the arena for an hour and a half and I did one of the dumbest things you could ever do.”
Cleveland’s Cougars reached the Big Dance as a No. 12 seed after winning the Mountain West Conference tournament in Las Vegas. Getting the program back to The Show for the first time since 1995, and the first time altogether for Cleveland and his group, elevated everything.
“I was so pumped and excited and so was that staff because none of us had been through this before,” he remembered. “We started going through our stuff and it turned into five-on-five, get after it, get down (full scale practice). It was the worst thing you could ever do, but we were so excited about being there, I thought, ‘Let’s coach these boys up!‘”
The next day against the fifth-seeded Bearcats, after a competitive 35-30 first half, the Cougars ran out of gas early in the second half. Cincinnati hit five 3-pointers in the first eight minutes and used a 19-4 run to win, 84-59.
“As I look back, I’m not sure that Cincinnati wouldn’t have still prevailed, but I learned a lesson,” Cleveland said. “Dave (Rose) and I were together two more times (2003 and 2004) where we changed a lot of things, and I know it really helped him going forward as a head coach here and the success he had.”
High anxiety
For a college basketball coach and his players, there is nothing bigger than the NCAA Tournament and there is nothing more important than finding a way to ease the tension.
“You need to help these young people get relaxed and not make the moment so big. We learned that,” Cleveland said. “Despite the fact that we played UConn and Syracuse in games that came right down to the last 30 seconds in losses, I felt we were way more prepared, and I felt better about what we did. It was still disappointing, but we had a great showing in both of those games as the result of the things and experiences we learned from the first time.”
UConn outlasted BYU 58-53 in 2003 and Syracuse edged the Cougars 80-75 in 2004 in a pair of 5-vs.-12 seed games. On Thursday in Denver (2:05 p.m MDT, TNT), the Cougars are a No. 6 seed and will face No. 11 seeded VCU.
Thursday will be Kevin Young’s first time.
“If I’m coach Young, I don’t make a big deal out of this. The moment is already like an elephant in the room,” Cleveland said. “Let’s stay with the fundamentals of what we’ve been really good at. I’ll tell you what they’ve been really good at — making the extra pass.”
Young’s debut
Young has plenty of experience coaching in the NBA playoffs, but Thursday will top them all.
“He’s going to have an experience in a couple of days that is different from anything he has ever experienced before,” Cleveland said. “The fact that there are some seasoned veterans (helps). Can you imagine Dallin Hall not being here with all that pressure on Egor (Demin)? Dallin has had his ups and downs, but I look at him and his leadership and (during) the important times, he’s always in the game and it’s taken pressure off Egor.”
The rise of First Team All-Big 12 performer Richie Saunders is another time-tested weapon Young can rely on.
“He has carried this team. He is the reason they are where they are. I’ve watched him play and develop. He’s just learned to shoot the ball. He has so much confidence,” Cleveland said. “He has perfect form, but he’s not selfish. He’s always making the extra pass. It’s just fun to watch.”
Built for this
From one coach to another, Cleveland has admired Young’s style.
“He has a great feel for people, especially (for) players who aren’t playing well. You watch him, when guys come out (of the game), he will hold them there. He’ll put his arm around them for a minute and the first thing that will happen when (the player) sits down, there is an assistant coach there. There is a support system.”
Substitutions are constant when you play an 11-man rotation and Young has found a way to be a psychiatrist, psychologist, philosopher and a coach all at the same time.
“These young people are impressionable. They struggle,” Cleveland said. “They take these things very personally. I think coach Young has done an amazing job.”
3 is key
The 3-point shot has been the bread and butter for BYU all season. The Cougars lead the Big 12 with 353 of them. How soon they can hit one on Thursday could determine their whereabouts for Saturday.
“I like their chances. The question is how quickly can you make a 3?” Cleveland said. “If BYU comes out and knocks down two or three of them early in that game, there is no question in my mind that with the mojo going, they are going to be on their way to the second round. But don’t discount VCU.”
One more thing — don’t hold a five-alarm practice inside Ball Arena the night before.
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.
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