BYU is obviously, like most teams, outmatched in this game. Gonzaga is a very good team. However, there are some things they could do to be more competitive.
The team leader needs to stop acting like a deer in the headlights. Come on Barcello…
Kolby Lee is just not a natural basketball player. He plods along, throws up random tosses at the basket and just… I dunno why he plays basketball.
I think Averette’s quickness matches Gonzaga but he needs help. BYU doesn’t have many athletic players.
I do like Lohner and Gideon going forward. I think they have very developable talent.
Haarms is too soft, where is Harward?
Harding and Johnson MIA. What role do they play?
BYU obviously lacks experience but I would be okay playing Gonzaga a couple more times this season just to gain some of that needed experience.
I don’t see things changing in the second half but you never know.
Can’t watch right now. But it looks like we began slow as usual. Same thing happened during the Rose era. With 4 minutes left in the half, I checked the score and it was 39 - 26. What happened? Harding is a real disappointment. His knee is fine. He just hasn’t gotten any better.
Two weeks off hurt the timing BYU had begun to have. It showed in the beginning of the 1st half. If we can have more consistent games next time we play Gonzaga will be different.
George and Lohner have greatly improved. Harwood got going well too. Harding is lost. Lowell blew an Achilles. Haarms is good for 13-17 points a game. Barcello and Averette were useless and unprepared. That has to change.
Ya know Jim, I was worried about this happening from the day we graduated TJ. Who will be our PG and who is going to get this team rolling. When Pope said he would make Barcello the Point, I thought, “Disaster, here we come”. It’s not because Barcello is bad, he is easy a top 30 college player BUT his talent is guarding their best player and shooting 3s from the corner. He ain’t no Point!
Then Pope brings in an undersized true point in Averette. Figured he knew this guy is money, so I’m thinking, "Great, problem solved, now Barcello can go back to being a 2 guard and this is looking good…Disaster!. WE HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH GETTING PLAYS STARTED. BSU and Gonzaga prove it. these 0-20 starts are a killer.
So why after the slow starts does BYU finally get the ball rolling? HAHAHAHa, Few took out some starters and we could start the offense plus Pope got on the bigs to set better pics. This all has me wavering on if BYU can make it to the dance. I guess we will see in the SMC game (which are NOT athletic and BYU should be able to do what they want)
Lohner is a MAN but still makes sooooo many fr. mistakes. I keep telling myself, “Patience”. As for George, I don’t understand how he can have 15 rebs. in a single game and then sit. Don’t ask me, I’m just a dumb onlooker.
Harding has a bum knee. a lot of pain there, looks slower this year… I actually really really like Johnson.
I think this slow start was due to not playing for 2 weeks. Perhaps a conspiracy with the league. We were just getting to look like a good team and then no play for no reason. I like being in a league that is supposed to have Christian values. But, like the rest of the country, that’s disappearing as well.
This isn’t a conspiracy against BYU. It’s a group of colleges who don’t care about basketball and don’t believe it should be a priority. They believe that cancelling games for “concerns”, even without positive tests, shows nobility and moral superiority. And that’s an easy position for them to take because basketball is a negative revenue line item for them. I bet those schools lose money most home games on stadium operating costs alone, and without their measly 2000 fans, it’s even worse. So if they cancel a game they can A) save money, and B) hold themselves up as saviors of society. BYU and the Zags on the other hand are also religious schools but A) make money on basketball because ESPN respects both programs, and B) know their alumni and students care, and therefore C) value basketball, so they want to play. Good for BYU, good for GU, and I beg you TH, PLEASE GET US OUT OF THE REC LEAGUE.
Lohner and George both made excellent plays at or above the rim. We need that athleticism. Also Harward was able to bully both GU posts to make QUALITY finishes at the rim. Haarms made a couple nice shots but just is too easy to push around. Johnson did a nice job defending but I as rushed and terrible on offense.
As you predicted, our guards were completely dominated and didnt even belong on the same court as Suggs, Ayayi and Kistpert.
Highlight of the game for me: watching George play extended minutes one on one with Kispert and match him basket for basket. George and Lohner need extended minutes at the 3 because they are the two best athletes on the team and both show flashes of brilliance and are always fantastic rebounders. And Harding is MIA anyway.
Haarms is doing what most knowledge persons said he would do. 15 a game and block shots. The offense doesn’t get him position enough to be a 20 point a game scorer.
George just needs more minutes. Barcello needs to sit when he’s not willing to play hard. It’s happened in big games.
Johnson is a head scratcher. Started off with great shooting. Now, he doesn’t square up. His footwork is shabby. But, on defense he does well.
Averette doesn’t give us anything at the point or the 2 guard. He’s back to dribbling all over the place breaking up the continuity of the offense.
The biggest culprit last night was 2 weeks off.
I never noticed Barcello not playing hard. I think the kid is a total gamer. He was just frustrated because he was playing against guys who are both better and bigger than he is . I clearly noted during the game that Barcello and Johnson were rushing shots because of GU’s nearly perfect defense.
Our 5 starters were simply outmatched athletically at every position. It was encouraging to note that our starters could close the gap on their subs, and I think our 2nd team was clearly better than their 2nd team, which provides hope for next year after Kispert, Suggs and Timme are all gone and getting paid to play.
BYU’s weakness against Gonzaga was easily predictable. Under-sized guards. Defensively the game was a mismatch. If Gonzaga has a weakness it’s that Timme is really good, but they don’t have a polished big to replace him like they did last year. You saw Harwood getting physical and having success and Haarms playing up to his capabilities. But overall Gonzaga has 4 NBA players at least on their roster. No need for feeble excuses-if Few had wanted-this could have been a 40 point loss. Still a good experience game for BYU
I don’t agree with Few being able to win by 40. Their players, like ours, have to take breathers. The fact is, three of their starters were on the court almost the entire game. Their rotations were good. Our problem that has been around a long time is how we begin games. Slowly. After the beginning. We played with them. A moral victory.
I agree with our guard play on offense. The turnovers killed us. The way to play offense against GU is to score in the paint. We need to have size out there to match up better in the beginning. I’d start Johnson, George, Lohner, Harward and Haarms.
You’re joking right? That would be a disaster. Gonzaga would have run BYU into the ground with fast break points and turnovers galore. Johnson is the only one that could bring the ball up the court too. That is a good inside presence and some good rebounding but outside of those two things total disaster. BYU would have been down by 20 in the first 5 min. with that starting lineup.
Completely disagree. That line up is the only one that can match up talent and size with GU. It’s the only line up that can score with them. They didn’t have an answer to our scoring in the paint. Going forward, bring the others off the bench. Play the talent now so by next year, we are ready for whatever GU throws at us.
I am encouraged that we can dance, assuming the WCC california teams will play ball. Look at how well BYU played against the Zags on their home court as opposed to how the elite teams faired against them. BYU isn’t elite yet, probably not this year, but elite and tournament ready are different standards.
This coming from the person that predicted a BYU win and one that obviously hasn’t watched Gonzaga much this year. Few rested his starters much more than if he was in a tight game situation. I’ve seen him play 7 the entire game instead of the entire roster. With 3 minutes left Gonzaga was up 25 and it was time to play those who haven’t hardly seen a glimpse all year. Get real-it was good for BYU players to play against this good of competition. We don’t need to make a bunch of phony excuses-we played against one of the best and found out where we need to get better. There is no downside just the reality
You are right-Barcello always plays hard, but when you are playing a taller, athletic, defensively minded team, sometimes the shots get rushed and are always contested and they just don’t fall and for all of his poor shooting night he was better than BA
Nice try… but inaccurate. 3 starters played 30 minutes or more. Few didn’t hold back anything. I give credit for the players not giving up and showing what they can do. At least the not so short players. Start George and Lohner. Go inside all game long until they start sagging. Then kick out for open 3’s.