‘Twas the night before the Sweet 16, when all through the land,
Not a fan was still, from Provo to Bama's grand stand;
The jerseys were hung by the lockers with care,
In hopes that victory soon would be there;

The Cougars were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of three-pointers danced in their heads;
And Oats in his crimson, and Young in his blue,
Had just settled down for a strategic review,

When out on the court there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my seat to see what was the matter.
Away to the hardwood I flew like a flash,
Tore open the gates and threw up the sash.

The lights on the sheen of the polished wood floor,
Gave a lustre of glory to the final four;
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a matchup of SEC-Big12, the fans all drew near,

With a BYU team, Saunders seasoned and hot,
I knew if they won there would be free tater tot;
More rapid than Cougars KY’s players they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Now, Saunders! now, Knell! now, Keita and Fous!
On,Demin! on, Dallin! on, Baker, no boos!
To the top of the key! to the edge of the lane!
Now dash away! dash away! bring home the gain!"

And then, from the West, the Cougars so spry,
Led by Coach Young, with a gleam in his eye;
Up to the challenge, the BYU crew,
With Stewart and Fousse, and Mag and Boscovic too,

Their eyes—how they twinkled! their spirits so high,
Their shots from afar, like stars in the sky;
The crowd all a-roar, in cool royal blue,
A battle of wills, a Sweet 16 brew,

The clock ticked down, the tension so tight,
The Roar of the Cougar, beneath the bright light;
The defense of Mag and Stewart begins,
A clash of the best, where only one wins,

'Twas the night before madness, the stakes ever high,
For BYU Cougars to the Elite Eight they’d fly;
And I heard them exclaim, as the night drew near,
"May the Cougars move on, ‘Rise and Shout’ so we hear!"

Go Cougs! To Elite Eight we go!!!