In less than 72 hours, the UVU men?s basketball team suffered two big letdowns.
First, the Wolverines saw their NCAA tournament hopes end with their 75-60 loss to Grand Canyon in the WAC semifinals in Las Vegas on Friday.
Two days later, UVU found out that the NIT would not be extending an invitation.
?It?s been rough, honestly,? Wolverine senior guard Kenneth Ogbe said Monday. ?Losing that game in Vegas really hurt, then not getting in the NIT was pretty rough for us. But we are glad we can play a postseason tournament and keep on playing with this group of guys. We?re going to try our best and see what we can do.?
UVU head coach Mark Pope joked that he tried to find an NCAA tournament team who didn?t want its bid so his team could have it instead but was unsuccessful.
The reality now, however, is that the Wolverines have to decide how they are going to handle their emotions going into Tuesday?s College Basketball Invitational first-round game against Eastern Washington.
?We are like everyone who is not in the NCAA tournament,? Pope said. ?It is where we wish we were. But these guys have earned this opportunity and there is really only two options. Option 1 is you just continue feeling miserable, while Option 2 is that you go play and play really hard and that makes you feel a little bit better. We?re going with Option 2.?
Ogbe said UVU has to get over the disappointment and lock in on playing its best basketball.
?We?re going to have to be mentally ready,? he said. ?Getting in the right mindset is going to be the most important thing for these games. Every team who is in the CBI or the CIT is going to have to deal with that.?
Pope knows it?s an even greater challenge for the seniors on his team to find the motivation to be their best.
?For this group of seniors, it was supposed to end a certain way and it didn?t,? he said. ?It?s really hard. It doesn?t matter when you lose, even if it is in the championship game, it is really hard. Everyone feels that way except the team that wins it. But if we approach this tournament right, then it will be very therapeutic.?
On the plus side, the Wolverines were rewarded for their success in 2018 with the first postseason home game in school history.
?It feels great,? Ogbe said. ?We all talked about how we are happy that we don?t have to fly out to Georgia Southern like last year and instead get to play in front of the home crowd. That?s going to be awesome.?
Instead it is the Eagles of Eastern Washington who have to travel this time ? but Pope and the Wolverines know their opponent is going to be fired up to keep its season alive as well.
?They are really good,? Pope said. ?Everyone knows the great players who have played in the Big Sky Conference but this kid coming in (senior Bogdan Bliznyuk) is the all-time leading scorer in the history of that league. They really shoot the ball and they are really physical. It?s a great challenge for us.?
UVU has to figure out how to slow Bliznyuk, who leads the team with more than 21 points per game.
?I watched a couple of clips on their best player, who is a European guy too,? Ogbe said. ?He?s really good at finishing around the rim and is a good shooter, so that?s going to be a good challenge.?
Both Ogbe and Pope emphasized effort and focus as being the biggest keys to being successful against Eastern Washington, as well as throughout the rest of the CBI.
?It?s a tournament now and we want to win the tournament,? Ogbe said. ?We are all competitors and we want to play as hard as we can, so we are going to give our everything.?
First, the Wolverines saw their NCAA tournament hopes end with their 75-60 loss to Grand Canyon in the WAC semifinals in Las Vegas on Friday.
Two days later, UVU found out that the NIT would not be extending an invitation.
?It?s been rough, honestly,? Wolverine senior guard Kenneth Ogbe said Monday. ?Losing that game in Vegas really hurt, then not getting in the NIT was pretty rough for us. But we are glad we can play a postseason tournament and keep on playing with this group of guys. We?re going to try our best and see what we can do.?
UVU head coach Mark Pope joked that he tried to find an NCAA tournament team who didn?t want its bid so his team could have it instead but was unsuccessful.
The reality now, however, is that the Wolverines have to decide how they are going to handle their emotions going into Tuesday?s College Basketball Invitational first-round game against Eastern Washington.
?We are like everyone who is not in the NCAA tournament,? Pope said. ?It is where we wish we were. But these guys have earned this opportunity and there is really only two options. Option 1 is you just continue feeling miserable, while Option 2 is that you go play and play really hard and that makes you feel a little bit better. We?re going with Option 2.?
Ogbe said UVU has to get over the disappointment and lock in on playing its best basketball.
?We?re going to have to be mentally ready,? he said. ?Getting in the right mindset is going to be the most important thing for these games. Every team who is in the CBI or the CIT is going to have to deal with that.?
Pope knows it?s an even greater challenge for the seniors on his team to find the motivation to be their best.
?For this group of seniors, it was supposed to end a certain way and it didn?t,? he said. ?It?s really hard. It doesn?t matter when you lose, even if it is in the championship game, it is really hard. Everyone feels that way except the team that wins it. But if we approach this tournament right, then it will be very therapeutic.?
On the plus side, the Wolverines were rewarded for their success in 2018 with the first postseason home game in school history.
?It feels great,? Ogbe said. ?We all talked about how we are happy that we don?t have to fly out to Georgia Southern like last year and instead get to play in front of the home crowd. That?s going to be awesome.?
Instead it is the Eagles of Eastern Washington who have to travel this time ? but Pope and the Wolverines know their opponent is going to be fired up to keep its season alive as well.
?They are really good,? Pope said. ?Everyone knows the great players who have played in the Big Sky Conference but this kid coming in (senior Bogdan Bliznyuk) is the all-time leading scorer in the history of that league. They really shoot the ball and they are really physical. It?s a great challenge for us.?
UVU has to figure out how to slow Bliznyuk, who leads the team with more than 21 points per game.
?I watched a couple of clips on their best player, who is a European guy too,? Ogbe said. ?He?s really good at finishing around the rim and is a good shooter, so that?s going to be a good challenge.?
Both Ogbe and Pope emphasized effort and focus as being the biggest keys to being successful against Eastern Washington, as well as throughout the rest of the CBI.
?It?s a tournament now and we want to win the tournament,? Ogbe said. ?We are all competitors and we want to play as hard as we can, so we are going to give our everything.?
