I will start with the losses:
Away games:
@ Az, @ Houston, @ ISU
The only Home game loss I will pencil in:
Kansas
Out of 20 league games, I am going with a few more early losses until our Fab Freshmen get things figured out. BYU should be in the top 6 with 7 losses. It really depends on when BYU plays the tougher games.
Monday, Nov. 4: vs. Jackson State at Fertitta Center
Saturday, Nov. 9: vs. Auburn at Toyota Center, part of The Battleground 2K24
Wednesday, Nov. 13: vs. Louisiana at Fertitta Center
Friday, Nov. 22: vs. Hofstra at Fertitta Center
Tuesday, Nov. 26: vs. Alabama, Rutgers, or Notre Dame in Las Vegas, part of the Players Era Festival
Wednesday, Nov. 27: vs. Alabama, Rutgers, or Notre Dame in Las Vegas, part of the Players Era Festival
Friday, Nov. 29: vs. Alabama, Rutgers, or Notre Dame in Las Vegas, part of the Players Era Festival
Saturday, Dec. 7: vs. Butler at Fertitta Center, part of the Big 12-Big East Battle
Tuesday, Dec. 10: vs. Troy at Fertitta Center
Wednesday, Dec. 18: vs. Toledo at Fertitta Center
Saturday, Dec. 21: vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Fertitta Center
Plenty of tests mixed in with some soft games …put in some California, Utah, and other MWC/Big West type schools…would be a great setup for conference play and a Run in the Dance.
Well when I dig deeper, the usually mid-tier Fresno State looks like it might be the dregs of the MWC. Maybe the secret KenPom scheduling information is different than Torvik’s but it mostly looks like a team that will be better than most of Pope’s non-conference last year simply because their conference strength of schedule will be higher than most of last years patsies had. They lost most of their minutes to graduation so it will be basically a brand new team this year.
As hard as the season will be in the B12, the toughest bball conference in the land likely again this year, Torvik says BYU has one of the easiest B12 schedules. The combination of good teams at home and weaker,actually less great, teams on the road makes an apatizing sauce.
Unfortunately for BYU, Houston is likely a conference tournament favorite and Texas Tech is widely considered a near peer. Both BYU and TT, being considered below the ranks of Kansas, Houston, Baylor, and Arizona but likely to be good enough to go dancing.
BYU needed some more height, and shooting…Boskovic addresses both with an added caveat, he is a really good rim defender. He may be a fr. coming into the Big 12 but with years of professional play in fiba, he really acts like a grad transfer and he will get playing time, plenty of it.
As a true 3 or 4 with unlimited range. He would be a 30 minute player under Pope’s 3 point crazy schemes but KY is a true NBA junkie so we will see how the offense flows. Two guys that will be 30 minute players…Hall and Denin.
The new kid can handle the ball as well. Man, with a couple of potential point guards coming in, do you think Hall plays that much? I don’t know if I see him starting right now. How much will Fouss play? This team is stacked! Easily 12 deep with everyone being able to start. Stewart and Townsand will be greatly improved as well.