Danny Ainge and Jimmer Fredette might be two of the most well-known Brigham Young University basketball players of the past, but in Kansas City, the most reputable BYU alumnus comes from the gridiron – Andy Reid, the head coach of the back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
For BYU fan Robert Smith of Salt Lake City, the highlight of his trip to cheer on the basketball Cougars in his first trip to the Big 12 Men’s Basketball Championship was the anticipation of an arranged Tuesday afternoon meeting with Reid.
“That’s a treat,” said Smith, making his first trip to Kansas City where the Cougars, ranked No. 20 in this week’s Associated Press poll, will take on the University of Central Florida in the second round of the conference tournament Wednesday morning (10:30 a.m. MT).
By virtue of their No. 5 seed in the conference tourney, the Cougars drew a first-round bye while 12th-seeded UCF defeated No. 13 Oklahoma State in the opening round. BYU has beaten UCF twice already during the regular season.
Previously as members of the Mountain West Conference, BYU played its men’s and women’s basketball conference tournaments in Las Vegas. So far, life in the Big 12 has been pretty good for BYU.
Also on Smith’s list of treats is a trip to a Kansas City barbeque joint and there are plenty to choose from.
BYU guard Dallin Hall already had a barbeque sampling during his previous trip to Kansas City for Big 12 Basketball Media Day last October.
At that time, Hall went to Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, a local joint in a gas station. Hall and the rest of the team then got a taste of Joe’s again on Monday night when it was catered to their hotel after their arrival.
“Just as good,” Hall said after his second time eating Joe’s.
With a victory, the Cougars (22-9, 10-8) would advance to play another morning game on Thursday against No. 4 seed Texas Tech, ranked No. 25 in the AP poll.
“We understand that every single game that you play in this Big 12 tournament is going to be an elite level game,” said Cougars coach Mark Pope.
“I would be over the moon with two wins,” said J.D. Talbot who traveled with Smith. “As long as we’re competitive, that’s all that I’m really hoping for.”
No matter what happens in the conference tournament, the Cougars figure to get a bid to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. They’ll find out during Selection Sunday on March 17.
Regardless of the outcome, the Jordyn Ensign family of Paradise, Utah, is making a six-night stay of their trip to the Big 12 tournament. The morning after their arrival, Jordyn, his wife Heidi and their son Jordan made their way to the Power & Light entertainment district across the street from T-Mobile Center where the games are played.
“This is really cool,” said Jordyn Ensign.
Dan Sorensen, a former BYU football player nicknamed “Dirty Dan” while with the Chiefs, is the first person that Jordyn Ensign thinks of when associating a BYU athlete to Kansas City.
“He was the man,” said Jordyn Ensign.
“Until the Chiefs got as good as they are, l loved watching them,” said Ensign. “Now they’re the big bad boys of the NFL. They’re like the (New England) Patriots. We all want to see them fall.”
The Cougars have already proven to be a spoiler around these parts when they beat the nationally-ranked Kansas Jayhawks on their floor, Feb. 27.
They’re hoping to grab that type of attention again prior to the NCAA tournament.
