Did the refs influence the outcome of the game? Yes. Did BYU shoot itself it in foot? Yes. Did the players and coaches lose composure? Yes. As much as I liked what Pope said about the officiating last night after the game, after I have thought about it, I have come to realize that he and the players let the bad officiating get to their heads. They lost composure which influenced the outcome of the game. We led all the way until the very end. We had a chance to win the game at the buzzer. We took poor shots. We were lazy with the ball. We went away from the things that we have done so well. We beat some good teams without Yoeli. We could have done so last night if we had kept our heads in the game.

Bottom line is that the players and coaches need to develop more mental toughness. They played right into Krystokoviak's playbook. He is a bully. He teaches his players to play a certain way. Whether we like him or not, he does know how to work the officials. He does know how to make adjustments. Every future opponent will watch the film of this game and try to replicate what Utah did. We better be ready. We can't have collective meltdowns like we did last night, or St. Mary's and Gonzaga will eat us alive. We will see these same refs again. One thing that all officials despise are whiny players. Flame away!