So, Stew, what gives?
A little more than 10 years ago, a state legislator proposed a bill requiring both the University of Utah and USU to play Southern Utah University in basketball each year on a home-and-home basis.
At the time, the Deseret News called it, “asking your mother to make your big brothers play with you.”
The Cedar City legislator caught a lot of flak and deservedly so. Some things we don’t need to legislate. But it does beg the question, why doesn’t USU play SUU in basketball?
SUU is a Division I-A school. Six years ago, they made the NCAA Tournament, nearly knocking off Boston College in the first round. Every year, SUU plays both the University of Utah and BYU. Last Friday night, they even beat the U in Salt Lake City.
Yet somehow we find the school below us, and we refuse to play them.
Of course, if SUU is below our competitive level, then why are we out playing Occidental College and others every year? Pop open a basketball schedule and you can find the following preseason games: At home, USU plays Cal State Bakersfield and the Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne Fighting Mastodons (yes, they do use the word “university” twice in their school name).
We are even willing to play an away game against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits. And does anyone remember last year’s game against Division-III school Lewis and Clark College? Come on, guys. The University of Sacajawea is so much better.
Yet we would never consider playing SUU.
We don’t even need to go down to Cedar City all that often. But why not go down there every other year or something? It certainly won’t kill us, and hey, I’m sure South Dakota is a beautiful state and everything, but Southern Utah is a lot nicer and a lot closer. The team won’t mind, I promise.
For Aggies, nothing beats a USU-BYU home game. The place is packed hours before tip-off with thousands of students waiting to chant “Provo High School” or “Waste of Tithing.” It might not be that big of deal for the Cougars (they’re probably tired of getting smoked by 20 points every year, let’s be honest), but for Aggies, a game like that is always a highlight. Why not give Southern Utah University students a similar opportunity?
In USU’s Big West days, we had 18 league games, so our schedule was a little crowded. But now the WAC only has us playing a 16-game league schedule. Maybe those extra two games might explain why we’re out playing the College of Crap every other week in the preseason.
Scheduling BYU and the University of Utah on a home-and-home basis every year wouldn’t be such a bad idea either. More in-state games would encourage better attendance both for us and other universities.
Having the State Legislature make a law requiring schools to play each other is unnecessary. Sometimes governing less is governing best.
But since that law was proposed and then removed from consideration (because SUU asked the legislator to bag it), both BYU and Utah have agreed to play SUU in basketball. Weber State plays them too. It seems like the only other school not willing to play SUU is us.
So Stew, what gives?
My only guess is that our team doesn’t need the distraction. After all, we’ve got to focus on our big game against those Mount Rushmore Jackalopes.
Jon Cox is a senior majoring in print journalism. Comments can be sent to jcox@cc.usu.edu.