1 As we look back at the season, I would say that there are two games byu would want back…@Utah and TTU at the Marriott.
2 First time HC Kevin Young was trying to play too many skilled players while continuing to say, “We need to find the right lineups” Took longer to find the best line ups for 2 main reasons:
Hall and Egor were both injured early on…the fact that Hall was injured early and did not spend the time running with Demin really hurt team chemistry. Demin in turn, injured his knee just about the time Hall came back…a perfect storm.
KY also felt the heat of starting 2 freshmen, Demin and Catchings, when the answer all along was play your experience…From the get go, I felt that Mag, a 5 yr grad Sr., who is ELITE defense was the obvious choice especially in the rough and tough big 12 play. Once Ky settled on Mag, two things happened…Mag showed that his suspect 3 was just fine and that his game altering defense was a game changer.
Both big runs BYU has enjoyed since the Utah failure involves Mag and Saunders on the floor together along with Demin.
6’9 Demin and 6’7 Mag make it very tough for guards to get open 3s off and their reach makes passing lanes shrink.
3 Guys that can penetrate and score or dish are critical for our success. Both Demin and Hall have been mediocre in our losses at controlling the game. In our wins, the margin was too wide to worry about a “Closer”. BYU still does not have a go to guy and that could bite us again in a tight game.
My choices were Hall (who is still not himself after the injury), Demin, if he is looking to find the open guy, but if his shots fall, he becomes “the Guy”. and Baker, the guy just finds a way to get that 10’ floater.
T-Rank - Customizable College Basketball Tempo Free Stats - T-Rank
If you look at T-Rank, BYU is about where I thought we would be, top 5 or 6. but if you look at the far right stat, BYU has few quality wins. That will all change with our next 3 games.
I think with Mag alone, BYU jumps significantly in defense. Stats for the season say BYU is top 50 on D. With Mag as a starter, BYU jumps 20 spots, top 30.
Better D takes pressure on scoring. before I can say we turned a corner on scoring, I have to watch games where BYU’s 3 is not falling. If we can grind out a road win when the shots don’t fall, then I would say BYU is a top 25 team.
2024-25 Men’s College Basketball Power Index - ESPN
Right now, I have BYU in the dance…Bracketology is slow to move, mostly because BYU has no ranked wins, that is about to change