The theme for BYU basketball this year is “Battle Tested for March.” Right now, BYU is slated to make the NCAA Tournament. Some people have them as a 6 seed, others a 5 seed, and some even a 7 seed, but BYU is not in danger of missing the tournament…at least right now. But they are gaining valuable experience playing top teams and will be much more battle tested heading into the conference tournament and probably (hopefully) the NCAA Tournament.
Jon Rothstein, a college basketball reporter for CBS Sports, tweeted last night that “Every Big 12 game feels like an NCAA Tournament game.” I dont think I have read a more true statement in the last 24 hours than that. That is true and BYU is figuring that out the hard way, only 2 games into conference play.
Game Recap vs Cincinnati
BYU opened their first game and home game in the Big 12 against Cincinnati, and BYU lost 71-60. BYU was NOT ready for Cincy’s defense. They were pressuring and intense on BYU, getting up into their grills. Because of that, BYU looked lost on offense. We forgot how to pass, dribble, and shoot. BYU had 18 turnovers, shot 33% overall, and 28% from 3. They just couldnt hang with Cincy. The frustrating part about this game was that BYU led by 7 at halftime. They were controlling the game and then Cincy ramped up their defense and BYU lost it.
Trevin Knell was the highlight for BYU. He hit 9 3 pointers and had a career high 27 points. Outside of him, the team shot below 30% and the next highest scorer was Dallin Hall with 10 points. That cant happen. BYU needed to bring their A game and they could not handle the defensive pressure and looked totally out of sync in the second half.
Game Recap vs #14 Baylor
Sadly, for BYU, the schedule didn’t get any easier. BYU lost to Baylor, 81-72. These were two of the highest scoring teams in the country and BYU had to travel to Waco, setting this game up as a big test for the Cougars early in the season.
BYU played much better than they did in the game vs Cincy. They were aggressive, physical, and were finding success on the offensive end even when Baylor was pressuring them. They shot 49% overall, 38% from 3, and had 14 turnovers. BYU played a great first half. They were up by 6 at halftime. Jaxon Robinson had a great close to the half as he scored an and 1 right before halftime, giving BYU the momentum.
But similar to the Cincy game, BYU lost it in the second half. Baylor ramped up their defensive pressure and BYU just couldnt adjust. Down the stretch, it was a close game, though. BYU was down only 2 with about 5 minutes to play. But things changed quickly. Some bad foul calls on BYU, forcing shots, and some missed FTs doomed BYU.
Game Improvement
It was the same thing that we saw vs Cincy only a little better. BYU just panics when it gets into crunch time. Everything becomes ISO ball and its like they forget how to run their offense. The refs were also horrible in the game. They missed a travel and a jump call, calling a foul on BYU instead, at a crucial time in the game.
BYU also had really bad paint defense. Our guys were getting beat off the dribble in a heart beat and couldnt stay in front of Baylor. But BYU was hanging around with one of the best teams in the country. Even though it was a loss, BYU did look better and there was improvement. The game on Saturday, in Orlando, vs UCF, becomes a must win in my opinion.
Game Preview vs UCF
On Saturday, BYU takes on UCF in Florida. UCF isnt a great team. They are 9-4 though but with not really any great wins against good teams. UCF played their first game at Kansas State in the Big 12 and got smoked by 25. They play Kansas tonight which should be a good scouting opportunity.
Player Breakdown
Jaylin Sellers is their best player. He leads the team in points per game with 17.8. He is not a great 3 point shooter though, only shooting about 26%. If BYU can force him to shoot, that will be crucial. As a team, UCF only shoots 32% from 3. They have one killer on the 3 point range and thats Marchelus Avery, whos averaging about 11 points per game and shooting 41% from 3.
Darius Johnson is another guy to keep an eye on. He shoots 38% from 3 and is second on the team in points per game at 14. But he leads the team in assists per game and steals per game. He is very active and will be a key guy for BYU to watch when creating offense and pressuring on defense.
The last guy BYU needs to watch out for is the man in the middle, Ibrahima Diallo, a 7 foot center, from Senegal. He doesnt score a lot, only averaging 6 points per game, but he is a menace on defense. He gets 6 rebounds a game and averages 2 blocks a game.
Prediction
BYU should win this game but it wont be easy as they are on the road. ESPN Analytics only gives BYU a 60% chance to win. If BYU can contain the penetration and creating offense of UCF, BYU will win. But its going to take a lot of communication and help on BYU’s part. I think they do JUST enough to win. BYU comes out on top 67-65.
Game Preview vs Iowa St
The next game BYU has is in Provo vs Iowa St on Tuesday. Iowa St just beat #2 Houston yesterday. Iowa St was home so that was a big advantage and the crowd was insane. I watched part of the game and it was crazy. Iowa St lost their first game against #11 Oklahoma but came back and beat #2 Houston. This team is good. They didnt shoot particularly well overall or from 3, but they have a great defense. They forced Houston to 16 turnovers and Iowa St scored 17 points off of those turnovers.
Player Breakdown
Iowa St also has 3 guys that BYU needs to watch in Tamin Lipsey, Keshon Gilbert, and Milan Momcilovic. Lipsey is their best player. He leads the team in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, and steals per game. He is EVERYWHERE. Lipsey also shoots 39% from 3, so will need to guard him out on the perimeter. He is the soul focus for BYU. He is quick, fast, and a really smart player.
Gilbert is just a mini version of Lipsey. Gilbert second on the team in points per game and assists per game. He is a total slasher. Hes only shooting about 26% from 3 but loves to drive the ball and score with his athleticism.
Momcilovic is complete sharpshooter. He shoots about 43% from 3 and 91% from the FT line. Momcilovic loves to back guys down and shoot over the top of them. He is also a great catch and shoot guy. BYU will have their hands full with him.
Prediction
This one worries me. Houston just went to Iowa State and lost and they were #2 in the nation. But that game was in Iowa and this game will be in Utah. I think that will be the difference. ESPN Analytics gives BYU a 66% chance to win vs Iowa State. I think this game will be close but the Marriott Center and crowd will be the tipping point. BYU wins by 5.
BYU Football Transfer News
In other BYU football news, BYU got a couple of QBs to transfer to BYU. The first is Gerry Bohanon who comes from Baylor and USF. Bohanon only has one year of eligibility left. He is a dual threat QB with a pretty good arm whos very athletic and can run for days.
The biggest question I have about him is his injury history, he sat out all of 2023 because of it, his arm, does he have a strong enough arm. He is a great runner, doesnt turn the ball over a lot, and knows our offense thanks to running a similar offense in Baylor. So itll be interesting to see if he is able to be the starter. I think itll be a competition between him and Retzlaff for the starting position.
The next transfer QB is Treyson Bourguet from Western Michigan. He has three years of eligibility left. BYU didn’t really need another young QB in the QB room with Ryder Burton and Noah Lugo, so this one puzzles me, but it could lead to some good competition down the road. He is a complete pocket passer but has shown the ability to run. He had 6 TDs and 2 INTs in two years at Western Michigan.
BYU Football Recruiting News
The other exciting news for BYU football was the announcement of Faletau Satuala, a 4 star safety/LB, from Bountiful, UT announcing his commitment to BYU at the All American High School football game. His final 3 were BYU, UCLA, and Utah. He ultimately picked BYU after being predicted to go to Utah. He later said that he committed to BYU because what Jay Hill was creating at BYU was “special.” You rock Jay Hill! This was a big get for BYU as BYU how has a better recruiting class than Utah, not counting transfers. If we count transfers coming in, Utah has a slightly better overall class.
Big 12 Conference Standings Update
- #14 Baylor 2-0
- Texas Tech 2-0
- Kansas State 2-0
- #3 Kansas 1-0
- #9 Oklahoma 1-0
- Iowa St 1-1
- #25 Texas 1-1
- #2 Houston 1-1
- Cincinnati 1-1
- TCU 0-1
- UCF 0-1
- #18 BYU 0-2
- Oklahoma State 0-2
- West Virginia 0-2
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