Release of hoops schedule still a few weeks away

I recently asked BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe when he was going to release the men’s basketball schedule, and he said not until the Mountain West Conference releases its schedule – which likely won’t be until August. Actually, both he and coach Dave Rose told me that a few games that they thought were on the schedule have fallen through, so there’s probably still a date or two to fill.
However, from other teams releasing their schedules this is what I’ve learned – and most of this is not new, so this is a refresher. The Cougars will open at home on Nov. 13 against Bradley in the first year of the MWC/Missouri Valley Challenge. They play at Hawaii Nov. 20, against Fresno State and former Cougar head coach Steve Cleveland on Dec. 12 at USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles, and will participate with Tulsa, Nebraska and Nevada in a tournament in Las Vegas on Dec. 22 and 23. Perhaps the biggest game on the slate right now is at Arizona on Dec. 28. The Wildcats will give BYU a return game in December of 2010, but it will be played at EnergySolutions Arena and not the Marriott Center. I’ve also heard the Arizona State will play the Cougars at the Marriott Center this coming season but can’t confirm that, even though I was told the Sun Devils owe BYU a return game for the Cougars playing at the University of Phoenix Stadium last December.