BYU Holds the Nation's Longest Home Winning Streak: Will It Ever End?

If you're a basketball fan, you'd think that the longest home court winning streak currently is at Pauley Pavilion or Cameron Indoor Stadium.  But the truth is that it's at neither.

Beginning Nov. 26, 2005, with a win over in-state college Southern Utah (86-61), BYU has gone on to win 51 games in a row at home. The last came Saturday evening over Cal Poly (76-64).  It's been over three years since BYU has faced defeat on their home court.

To be fair to UCLA or Duke, it's not like BYU plays a North Carolina or Arizona each year.  It's not for a lack of trying though.  BYU has attempted to schedule basketball powerhouses but has been turned down repeatedly.

Lately the trend has been to schedule home and home games with teams but at regional neutral sites.  An example recently is this past year.  BYU played Michigan State at the Energy Solutions Center in Salt Lake City, which is 40 miles north of Provo, and though the crowd favored the Cougars, it just wasn't the same as playing in the Marriott Center.

Therein lies the advantage BYU retains and is most likely the reason for the Cougars' recent win streak.  The Marriott Center stands as one of the three largest facilities in college basketball. With a seating capacity of 22,700, the Marriott Center is one of the most cavernous basketball arenas in the country.

Enclosing eight million cubic feet and with a circumference of over a quarter-mile, the Marriott Center has been known to throw off opponents' perimeter shooters. Often complaints are aimed at the difficult depth perception caused by its massive interior.

Personally I remember watching my first game at the Marriott Center in 1980. It was the height of the Danny Ainge era, and my father took me to my first BYU game.

We arrived about an hour early before tip-off, and I was awestruck by the sheer size of the arena. I remember walking the top of the concourse and how small my father looked across the enormous cavity that was between us. That particular game was a sellout, and it was incredible hearing 22,700 crazy Mormons cheering on their Cougar team! 

The crowds are not the same as in the late 1970s and 1980s.  Rarely does BYU pull in a sellout crowd.  But the results are still the same, as BYU continues to dominate their opponents in the Marriott Center.

BYU in the last eight years is 114-10 at home and is riding a 51-game winning streak.  Even though the crowds don't always reach 22,000, they still draw 15-18,000 fans each game.

The student body has prime seats on one side of the court, and their vocal teasing of the opposing teams has caused many humorous moments during games.

One such tradition is the famous, "left, right, left, right" chant as an opposing player fouls out of the game.  At one game I witnessed one of UNLV's star players play with the crowd, feigning taking a seat, and then teasing the student section by continuing to shuffle around.

Critics, however, point out the lack of marquee wins over the past few years.  The problem is it's so difficult to get anyone to come to your arena in pre-conference play.  Any loss can cripple your chances of gaining a NCAA Tourney berth, and major conference teams are loath to play BYU in Provo due to this reason.

The 51-game win streak has not been without its drama.  It almost came to an end early in the 2005 season with an exciting come from behind game against TCU.  Lee Cummard hit a last-second three-pointer to complete a 10-point comeback and push that game into overtime, where the Cougars then finished the Horned Frogs off by 10.

They also have been pushed to the wire by San Diego State in 2008, but dominated fellow conference powerhouse UNLV last season by the score of 74-48.  Other notable wins have been over their rival Utah in 2006, 2007, and 2008.  They also beat Seton Hall and Oral Roberts in an early season tourney in 2006.

This year BYU finally faces several tough tests in the Marriott Center.  Wake Forest comes to town on Jan. 3, 2009, and UNLV, San Diego State, New Mexico, and Utah all come to town in conference play.

With two more remaining home games in December against Portland and Boise State, BYU should have their streak up to 53 games before the Wake Forest game.  If they beat Wake, then don't be surprised if BYU runs the table at home once again.

But before you BYU fans get too excited, BYU needs to win 79 more games in a row to catch Kentucky.  The Kentucky Wildcats won 129 home games in a row, from 1943 to 1955.  It would take BYU another five-and-a-half seasons to equal that feat.  Like I said, dream on, Cougar fans...dream on.