While "Jimmer Mania" continues to sweep the nation, BYU's Cinderella story just hit a bit of a snag.
On Tuesday, BYU made the decision to dismiss sophomore Brandon Davies from the team, a decision made based upon his breaking the BYU honor code.
The violation occurred when the power forward admitted to having sexual relations with his girlfriend after rumors of her pregnancy arose. Sexual relations before marriage, among other things, are strictly forbidden under the university code. Davies will remain at BYU while school officials decide his fate, which could potentially result in expulsion from the school.
Davies had been thriving with the sensational Jimmer Fredette, averaging 11.1 points with a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game, and now leaves a 6-foot-9-sized hole in the Cougars' plan to make a deep run in this year's NCAA tournament.
The shocking move takes arguably the Cougars' best post player, a position that can make or break teams come March Madness time, and dismisses him from the team completely, with a "possibility" to come back next season, whatever that means. The harshness of the penalty, however, leaves college hoops fans and experts alike puzzled.
While the fundamental ideology behind the honor code is understood, the answer will most likely never come as to why a school that just became the third ranked team in the country would completely remove a key piece to their national championship puzzle over something that many would view as seemingly insignificant.
Recently, No. 2-ranked Kansas suspended guard Tyshawn Taylor indefinitely for violating team rules, after someone caught the junior with Lady Jayhawk Marisha Brown under the Allen Fieldhouse bleachers.
Kansas lifted the suspension after just two games for Taylor – perhaps recognizing the lapse in judgment often shown by college students – and moved forward with their run for a national championship. The way Kansas handled the situation shows the fundamental difference between the meaning of a contender and a pretender, as well as the difference between public and private universities.
Proponents of BYU's honor code look favorably on the decision, as the university prepares to move to the West Coast Conference, which is comprised exclusively of private schools, some with similar, yet nowhere near as strict policies.
BYU should take a hint from schools that they're chasing, and instead of taking such immediate action on their athletes, take a step back and analyze the situation and act accordingly.
It's unfortunate that BYU's magical season had to end this way, and when they're one-and-done in the big dance while Kansas waltzes towards the Final Four, the university will have nobody to blame but themselves.
