As much as I love Coach Rose and this team, this was just a bad night and game. No excuses and nobody to blame but themselves. From the start, BYU was jacking up 3s and played horrible interior defense. They were manhandled and it was a woodshed moment. Instead of going inside when they were missing from out, their guards just kept taking horrible shot after shot until Childs finally took over and hit a few inside. This game was lost within the first 3-6 minutes.
As for the format, how can playing back to back nights ever be a benefit? Sure they have a little bit of a rhythm but what about the San Diego players playing the night before and having very little time to rejuvenate for a BYU team that normally plays uptempo and physical? San Diego wanted the game more and they wanted redemption for those close games earlier in the season. I do not believe that San Diego is 30 points better than BYU but I do not believe that BYU can make any excuses. In reality, the format should have benefited BYU and given them a chance to scout San Diego and get rest from any travel fatigue.(Did they fly or drive?)
Vegas is notorious for teams going out and partying and coming into games tired and distracted. For those players that drink or are typical college students, they enjoy the clubs and late nights in between games. They want to celebrate and it can really affect them the next game if the coaches don't put down some boundaries or a curfew. I saw it when I accidentally got a room at Mandalay Bay for a BYU bowl game, not realizing that Utah was staying there. The night before the game, I saw a ton of Utah players out at the tables, being loud after the bowl activities and enjoying themselves late into the night as they were going in and out of the clubs at multiple casinos.(we didn't have children yet, so my wife and I were enjoying more than the regular BYU hangouts at the Bellagio fountains, the Coke store, and M&M factory. Sadly, it didn't affect Utah in the 1st half with all the interceptions but I could see how it could be a huge distraction for basketball teams there for almost a week, especially when family and friends show up and want to enjoy Vegas. So I am a little surprised that San Diego came in with the energy that they did. It is a compliment to their team and coaching staff.
On a side note, that Utah BYU Vegas Bowl was a great time but also the first time I had ever seen BYU and Utah fans sitting together at bars and tables after the game, sharing a cold one or two after BYU nearly came back. Unlike other rivalry games, I had no trash talk from any Ute fans, only respect. It was a cold night and so on the elevator ride to our room, my BYU gear was mostly covered by a big coat. Due to some comp points I had, my wife and I had been given a great deal on a sweet on the upper floors. So, we had a lot of time to listen to fans talk to each other and get an honest perspective of many Utah fans. They were not happy with the 2nd half performance and were all talking about being shocked that they had not lost with the way the 4th quarter was going. Unlike the comment sections on the articles, every fan that rode with us to the top floor on 2 different trips, gave Mangum props for not giving up after those interceptions and the BYU team for playing through a lot of distractions with the coaching change and a rivalry game. It was fun to hear it and I liked seeing the more respectful treatment towards one another when I shook most of their hands and congratulated them, after showing my BYU gear. I wish it was like that more often from fans of both teams. Losses suck, whether they are by 1 or 40 points, but give the other team credit and don't blame a bad loss on a format.San Diego deserved that win and would have won regardless of the format because BYU was off and mentally out of that game after going down 13 to 0.