Monday, March 28, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
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| Deseret News |
In one game, BYU basketball blew out San Diego by 58 points shooting 57 percent. Then against Gonzaga, they shot only 33 percent overall. The 2016 BYU basketball team suffers from what could be considered multiple personalities, kind of like Jekyll and Hyde.
BYU basketball has struggled to stay consistent throughout the 2015-16 season. If the Cougars are to win the WCC Championship and make it to the Big Dance, they need to find a way to hold onto their consistent offensive firepower throughout tournament play.
At times, they look like an offensive juggernaut but then in easily winnable or crucial games, they struggle to find their already existent offensive firepower. The latest examples of this are the games stated above. The Cougars absolutely demolished San Diego by 58 points but then struggled against Gonzaga shooting only 33 percent as a team. However, it is encouraging that the Cougars can hang with a team like Gonzaga while shooting so poorly.
At times, they look like an offensive juggernaut but then in easily winnable or crucial games, they struggle to find their already existent offensive firepower. The latest examples of this are the games stated above. The Cougars absolutely demolished San Diego by 58 points but then struggled against Gonzaga shooting only 33 percent as a team. However, it is encouraging that the Cougars can hang with a team like Gonzaga while shooting so poorly.
BYU beat projected NCAA tournament team, Belmont, 91-85 shooting 45 percent overall and an impressive 48 percent from three point land. They essentially shot lights out. But then came their game against the Utah Utes when they barely scored just 28 points in the first half. The Cougars defense also gave up 51 points in that first half.
When the Cougars beat LMU on the Lion's home floor, they shot an amazing 49 percent as a team. They then turned around and shot only 36 percent against Pepperdine in a game they lost 71-65. Against LMU they put up 91 points and then against Pepperdine, they put up only 65 points.
There are many other examples of the Cougars struggles but I am sure you get my point by now. Don't get me wrong, I believe BYU basketball has a very good team this year. When they have played at their best in a consistent manner, they are almost unstoppable. Sure, their defense could be improved but it did get better as the season went on. However, if the Hyde in BYU comes out during tournament play, the Cougars could be doomed to early exit from the WCC Tournament and a trip to the NIT.
Let's just hope the Cougars' will to survive and tenacity will take over and carry them throughout the tournament.
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
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| Getty Images |
The video below is sort of a short documentary produced by Vice Sports featuring the somewhat rise and fall of Jimmer Fredette.
Even in the NBA D-League, Jimmer's stardom has followed him. The video shows Jimmer's amazing accomplishments through his career and his struggles in trying to make it in the NBA. In the video, it even shows Ben Stiller meeting with Jimmer at one of his D-League games.
Monday, February 22, 2016
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| (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) |
BYU basketball's hopes at an at-large bid for the Big Dance were dashed because of losses to lower level opponents like Pacific, Portland and Pepperdine. However, the possibility of a No. 1 seed in the West Coast Conference tournament is still very real for the Cougars if the right things happen as the WCC wraps up regular season play.
Currently, the Cougars sit in third place in the conference standings behind Gonzaga in second, and St. Mary's in first. The Cougars have a conference record of 12-4 going into the last two games of the regular season and both St. Mary's and Gonzaga are 13-3 in conference play.
With those circumstances, let's take a look at the different scenarios that would affect the Cougars' seeding in the WCC tournament.
St. Mary's wins their last two regular season games and BYU beats Portland and Gonzaga
St. Mary's would win the regular season conference title and they would clinch the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. St. Mary's last two regular season games consist of Santa Clara and San Francisco. BYU would win the tie breaker with Gonzaga and receive the No. 2 seed. The Cougars could face Portland, Pacific or Santa Clara in the quarterfinals.
St. Mary's wins their last two regular season games and BYU beats Portland but loses to Gonzaga
St. Mary's would take the No. 1 seed, Gonzaga would take the No. 2 seed and BYU would fall to the No. 3 seed. In this situation, BYU would most likely face San Francisco in the quarterfinals.
St. Mary's loses to either Santa Clara or San Francisco and BYU beats Portland and Gonzaga
St. Mary's, Gonzaga and BYU would all be tied atop the conference standings. The Cougars would take the No. 1 seed due to their better record against both the Gaels and the Zags. In this case, the Cougars could face San Diego, Loyola Marymount or Pacific in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
St. Mary's loses to either Santa Clara or San Francisco and BYU beats Portland but loses to Gonzaga
Gonzaga would take hold of the No. 1 seed surpassing St. Mary's for first place in the conference and they would win the regular season conference title. St. Mary's would be the No. 2 seed and BYU would be the No. 3 seed. As in the second situation above, the Cougars would likely face San Francisco in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
BYU loses to Portland
In any circumstance where BYU loses to Portland, they would essentially doom themselves to the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. St. Mary's and Gonzaga could lose one of their two remaining conference games, but BYU would still receive the three seed. If St. Mary's and Gonzaga lost both of their two remaining games, BYU would then receive the No. 1 seed. However, that situation is highly unlikely.
However the tournament seeding shakes out, the Cougars will need to win the WCC tournament in order to get into the NCAA tournament. Most analysts are calling the West Coast Conference a one bid league. ESPN's Joe Lunardi's latest bracketology has both St. Mary's and Gonzaga in the tournament with St. Mary's as an 11 seed and Gonzaga as part of the Last Four In. If the Cougars beat the Zags, Gonzaga's at-large hopes could quickly disappear.
What seed do you think BYU will receive for the WCC conference tournament?— Joshua Landon (@TheJoshLandon) February 22, 2016
Friday, February 19, 2016
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| Photo: David Dow/NBA/Getty Images |
According to an ESPN report by Ian Begley, Jimmer Fredette will sign with the New York Knicks for another stint in the NBA.
The Knicks have an open roster spot that will be filled by Fredette and he should join the team next week according to the report.
Fredette has been playing for the Knicks D-League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, where he has been averaging 22.3 points and 4.8 assists in 28 games. He was selected as a D-League All-Star and he also won MVP honors at the D-League All-Star game. He scored 35 points in that All-Star game, the most ever in the history of the event.
Fredette was a star at BYU before being selected as the 10th pick in the 2011 draft. He has played in 233 games over his career averaging 13.5 minutes a game and six points a game.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
After Taysom Hill’s announcement to return to BYU football, the skepticism of his return increased ever more.
Fans expressed their concerns worrying that it would stunt the growth of the freshman sensation, Tanner Mangum. Fans worry that it will start yet another quarterback controversy which tends to never bode well.
However, I am here to tell you that everyone will benefit from his return.
One, the team and coaches will benefit because they are getting back a veteran leader and athlete in Hill. Fans may be skeptical but the team sure isn’t. Linebacker Harvey Langi expressed his excitement on Twitter despite the skepticism.
Say what you wanna say..it really doesn't matter cuz he is home and staying. Much love to my brother @T_Hill4. This year is gonna be raw 💯— Harvey Langi (@LANGI21) February 16, 2016
Hills return will also add coveted depth at the quarterback position. Depth at any position is a must in football no matter the position or current player situation. BYU is going to need all the depth they can get with probably one of the toughest schedules ever coming up in 2016.
First year offensive coordinator Ty Detmer can’t be more pleased what has just fallen into his lap. Detmer said in a Salt Lake Tribune article that he’s always said two quarterbacks is better than one. He is going to be able to work with a Heisman caliber quarterback in Hill and an up and coming staple at quarterback in Mangum.
Mangum will have the chance to continue to learn and develop with whoever gets the starting job at quarterback. If Hill starts, Mangum can sit back and learn from the veteran leader and the former Cougar prodigy, Ty Detmer. If Mangum starts, he is still going to get the same from starting.
Two, fans will benefit because they get to see Hill play one more year at BYU barring any injury. Need I say more? It’s Taysom Hill for goodness sake. He single handedly dominated Texas two years in a row.
Three, BYU football as an organization will benefit. There is no doubt that they will sell more season tickets now that fans know Hill will be back for one more year. He is a BYU sports star that can be compared to the likes Jimmer Fredette and Tyler Haws. They naturally bring about hype because of the type of athlete they are. They are exciting to watch and that sells tickets.
As I said, everyone will benefit in some way. Hill’s return can only bring about positive results. He’s here to stay for one more year to bring back the magic that is Taysom Hill.
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
BYU basketball may have beaten LMU by 11 in their first meeting of the season, but LMU sure gave BYU all they could handle.
The Cougars ended the second half down by 10 with a score of 50-40. Being down by 10 points at the half may not be the most glaring statistic. The Cougars gave up 50 points in the first half to a sub-500 team. However, the Cougars did get their act together in the second half and they were playing LMU on their home floor.
BYU didn’t struggle at all on offense putting up 91 points and boasting two players with 20 points or more. The Cougars need to be prepared though for another tough WCC match up. The WCC is visibly stronger this year and the seemingly harmless teams like LMU, Pepperdine and Portland continue to show up for their matchups against the Cougars.
Keys to watch for the Lions
Look for the Lions to try to limit the easy shot. In the last game, the Cougars definitely had their way in the second half outscoring the lions by 11 points. The Lions will try to limit the scoring of Chase Fischer and Kyle Davis who had their way against the Lions the last time they met this year. The Lions will also try to even out the rebounds being that the Cougars out rebounded them by 10 in the last game.
Keys to watch for the Cougars
Watch for the Cougars to try to take away the three point shot and limit Adom Jacko and Steve Haney. The Lions only shoot 34 percent as a team from behind the arc, but the Cougars allowed 11 made three pointers in their last contest with the Lions. On top of that, Jacko scored 26 points and Haney added another 18 with 5-10 three-point shooting. The Cougars will also keep a closer eye on Haney who only averages 10.9 points but was allowed to soar above that average last time around.
