Finding positives after defeat

BYU's 68-61 loss to No. 9 Michigan State on Saturday was one of the most disappointing Cougar defeats I have endured in a while. Yes, the Cougars were underdogs going in. Yes, the Spartans are a Top-10 team. And yes, the game wasn't at the Marriott Center. But this was a big one. A game to plant BYU firmly on the collegiate hoops' map in 2007-08 and possibly beyond.
Rankings, NCAA seeding and more were on the line. And with a huge first-half lead, things were looking good. But as soon as MSU trimmed a 14-point lead to 10 at intermission, I smelled trouble.
And while the Spartans were far from impressive in the first 20 minutes, they looked every bit a Big 10 champion after the break. Still, the Cougars had their chances. But much like the loss to No. 1 North Carolina, they just couldn't get the key shots to fall in the final minutes.
Saturday night was rough. But a couple days of perspective lead to the positives.
Here goes ...
1. BYU has played three Top 10 teams and played all three close, beating then-No. 6 Louisville. With no lopsided loss and plenty of lopsided wins, BYU resume is impressive.
2. Even with an off game from Jonathan Tavernari on Saturday, BYU still nearly beat MSU. Prior to the game, I felt J.T. needed to hit 4-5 treys for the Cougars to win. He went 2-for-6 from distance and 2 of 10 overall. Despite one of his worst outings (offensively and defensively), the Cougars were right there with five minutes to play.
2. Despite the defeat, the Cougars kept their spot in the Top 25, sitting at No. 25 in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today polls.
3. BYU's schedule sets up a 12-2 record heading into the Jan. 8 game in Winston-Salem, N.C. against Wake Forest. The Cougars should have no trouble in home wins over Lamar, Pepperdine, Southern Utah and Loyola Marymount. Add in a likely road win at Boise State and BYU should be sitting between Nos. 18-20 in the rankings when it faces the Deamon Deacons (and I'm not referring to the 12-year-olds in your ward). A win at Wake would set BYU up nicely heading into conference play.
4. All the Cougars' goals are still reachable. A Mountain West title and MWC tournament title are certainly achievable as is a run in the NCAA Tourney. The Sweet 16 is not out of question for this group. When Dave Rose took over for Steve Cleveland and proclaimed his goal was to win a national title, I laughed a bit. "BYU" and "national title" don't belong in the sentence when basketball is the topic. But watching the Cougars this year, Rose's lofty aspirations don't seem to crazy.
5. The Church is true. Now there's a reason to smile. No matter what happens on the hardwood.