The end result is replicable in the WCC tournament, even if the exact way the game played out won't happen again.

(Btw... Phew! My heart was racing, and I already knew the outcome. I don't know how you guys survived watching that without having a heart attack.)

Yes, Pangos and Wiltjer combined for only 12 points, but Haws and Winder combined for only 14 points.

Yes, the Zags only made 14-21 from the charity stripe, but BYU made only 16-29 from the FT line.

The refs were fairly consistent (at least, as far as WCC reffing goes). Missed some bad no-calls on each side, and called some ticky-tacky fluff on each side.

Pretty much all stats between BYU and Gonzaga were fairly even, such as TOs (11 vs. 12), blocks (6 vs. 4), steals (9 vs. 8), FG% (42 vs. 44), etc.

BYU did not have to get crazy hot from 3 (we made 7 compared to our average of 9 per game), Gonzaga did not have a crazy off night. BYU simply controlled the game from start to finish with hard-nosed defense, toughness, good-execution, and hustle.

The main things that might play out differently... It might have been a mistake for Gonzaga to try to play small ball with BYU. I would expect them to go back to two traditional bigs against us to make us pay on offense, although with our quicker guards that might not work when they're on defense. Tough to say.

Another big difference will be the WCC championship game would be on a neutral court, obviously. That is worth at least a few points, which might make the difference against such a high caliber team as the Zags (assuming we meet up with them again in the tourney).

I do have hope though, if for no other reason than now BYU knows they can play with and beat the Zags anywhere. That mental and emotional reassurance has got to be empowering.

In the end, BYU simply has to maintain their high level of commitment to defense, and they shouldn't slip before the championship game. And while I don't think we should be favored in a rematch with the Zags, I like our chances.