Brigham Young in the NCAAs: The seed is a gift, the path is manageable, but which version of the Cougars shows up?

Brigham Young begins play in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday with a first-round date with VCU in the East regional.

And so we ask: Will the real Cougars stand up?

Or bow out?

Or revert to any of their previous forms?

Whereas everyone else played one regular season, the Cougars essentially played four — such were the abrupt changes in trajectories, dynamics, successes and failures across four fascinating months in Provo.

For the uninitiated, the light-headed or the simply confused...