Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
ISOLATED — BYU guard Dawson Baker had a unique vantage point of the Cougars' first Sweet 16 appearance in 14 years — alone in the locker room underneath Ball Arena in Denver.
And thanks to BYU's social media team, it was all caught on tape.
The redshirt junior from Coto De Caza, California, was ejected for a flagrant-2 violation at the under-four media timeout when officials ruled he committed "non-incidental" contact with an opponent's groin area that was deemed "extreme and excessive" while trying to maintain possession against a two-man Wisconsin trap.
So Baker had to watch the final moments of the Cougars' 91-89 win over the third-seeded Badgers from the locker room as BYU advanced to the regional semifinal for the first time since Jimmer Fredette's final season in 2011. In the video, which was set up to capture any postgame celebrations but instead caught perhaps one of the more heartwarming moments of the NCAA Tournament so far, Baker is pacing the length of the room with his hands over his head.
When you set up the celly cam at halftime and end up capturing the sweetest moment 🥹 pic.twitter.com/j83SUyukbu
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 23, 2025
He then turns his attention to the TV screen, clapping his hands and urging his teammates to get "one stop." As Mawot Mag defends against Wisconsin 37-point scorer John Tonje on the final possession, Baker tells Mag to "get a hand up," then "wall up" against a contested jumper that falls short as Keba Keita cleans up the loose rebound and Trey Stewart takes the ball for an emphatic dunk on the other end (that ultimately didn't count, not that it mattered).
And Baker, like his teammates on the court a wall — and perhaps a world — away screams with his own excitement before his teammates found him for their own postgame shenanigans that included head coach Kevin Young flossing in the locker room.
Also, some more good news for BYU: Baker's flagrant-2 and immediate ejection won't carry over to missing any time in the Cougars' next game. That means that Baker will be available for Thursday's regional semifinal against Sunday's winner of No. 2 seed Alabama and seventh-seeded Saint Mary's (4:10 p.m. MT, TNT).
Have You Seen This?
Housecat shows bear who's boss
I spent six months or so living in the Pocono Mountains region of Pennsylvania, and it's easily one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
