So, most saw this as a loss. We got up by 21 and then let that lead go. Pacific doubled Childs and played tough defense. Many of their shots were sop shots. In Provo those no look shots don’t go in.
BYU hung in there and even with poor free throw shooting pulled it out. Hardnett’s fee throw shooting was a big difference. However, notice when other teams drive and get fouled they make the layups. Hardnett did not. Why? Why don’t our players have that touch other teams have?
Worthington has to make foul shots. We shot plenty of free throws and made only 64% while Pacific was at 82%. Why does everyone shoot well against us?
I agree we will struggle to be 2nd. But, if others step up and not be psyched out, we can do it. Even the announcers said Rose had to be a psychologist.
I still maintain the BYU will not be a top 3 WCC team this year. Pacific is a bottom half of the league team. We barely escaped them and we shot lights out and built a 21 pt lead before falling behind with 3 min left in the game. We got lucky and we again showed how poor we are as a team this year.
There is something about our team and how we play in other gyms. It’s been that way since 1977 when I entered BYU. I remember Danny Ainge great teams struggling at other gyms like the Pit. So, that was a good win last night. Not to give in to the pressure. Great to have Hardnett. Did well off the bench.
The Cougs put on an amazing shooting show through most of the first half. Childs made his first 3-point shot early in the game–which is a bad sign, I think–because he consistently missed on the next 3 or 4. There’s got to be a better shot for him to take. Harding looked good early on, but got into foul trouble. Haws shot and played well throughout the game. The glaring weakness I saw was the free throw shooting. Even Haws was missing. Worthington was abysmal at the line. Glad they pulled it out. They lost by 1 to Pacific there last year.
I’m with thawk. BYU looks middle-tier in the WCC this year. I hope they prove me wrong.
90 points in another’s crackerbox gym is pretty good. Especially with terrible free throw shooting. I think if we stay confident we can place 2nd. PAC isn’t that bad of a team.
I found it hilarious how Jim and others last year were saying our league is made up of glorified high school players and just looked like great high school teams. While I was saying they have talented players that will get better. And I got laughed at.
Any road win in conference is a good win whether by 1 or 40 points, however, BYU’s parts seem better than the sum of the parts. There is some good individual talent that hasn’t learned how to play together on a consistent basis and too many people that don’t understand their roles. Childs should very rarely shoot a 3, Nixon shouldn’t be shooting 3s and his role should be as a garbage man which he is good at. Hardnett shouldn’t be taking many 3s but should be looking to score off the drive and pass the ball.
I have been a Rose apologist but I am getting frustrated with his failure to develop his inside players. Baxter has great athletic ability and at this point in the season should be a major contributor off the bench but seems to have regressed since early in the season. Lee has a wide body and a decent shot and should have been seeing more minutes early on. Because these two haven’t been brought along more quickly we are stuck with Worthington again. Worthington is OK as a 5-10 minute man off the bench to give fouls and take up space inside but the two freshman have much higher upsides. Seljass is a wing player only and in my opinion a situational player only. He shouldn’t be getting the last shot with the game on the line which he has in at least 3 games I can think of where BYU lost (2 this year and at least one last year).
Pacific is a middle of the pack WCC team and a win on their court is good. BYU needs to beat all the middle of the pack, and lower, WCC teams at home and on the road and beat everybody but Gonzaga at home if they want to make the NIT. I gave up on the NCAA after the UNLV loss.
Childs is clearly the best BYU player but he shouldn’t be taking more than 1 or 2 threes a game, at the most, and only when there is no other option. He is about all BYU has inside at this point. If he is trying to enhance his NBA resume by taking threes he is not helping the team. His 3 point percentage is under 30% and that indicates he should almost never take a 3.
A team with 3 ESPN top 100 recruits plus guys like Harding and Baxter should be much better.
Baxter was a major PAC 12 recruit and we were very lucky to sign him. It is rare for BYU to get a big who truly plays above the rim. This is a lost season and he should not be wasting away on the bench. Of course we have 100% ignored our big men ever since Mark Pope left. You know, THAT Mark Pope, the one who should be the BYU HC for the next 15 years.
Well, Baxter looks completely lost. He loses control of the ball while shooting.
Harding looks good. He makes shots. He plays hard and contributes. He doesn’t look lost. So, why does Baxter look lost? I don’t think it’s because of Rose.
Lee should get more minutes. I’d like him to take more of Nixon’s minutes.
Worthington played well the last couple of games. Except for his free throws.
Most of Child’s 3’s are open shots. He needs to lower the arc on the shot. Way too high to be real consistent.
Haws will have an occasional bad shooting night but he’s a good player and gets better every year. He gets to the basket and makes the layups, unlike Hardnett. Both get fouled doing so which is a good thing.
Emery played well last night except for one shot and Coach pulled him. That last foul on the 3 shot wasn’t a foul.
Baxter needs more playing time and he wouldn’t look so lost. He needs experience. He has the physical tools. I hope he doesn’t get run off like Dastrup did.
I agree that most of Childs’ threes are open shots and that being the case he should be hitting at least 40% of them and if not he needs to rarely take one and look for another option unless the shot clock is going to expire. The thing I loved about Dastrup is that he was an outstanding natural 3 point shooter and he was 6’10". With a little work and playing time he could have been a Dirk Nowitzki type player (not at that level but of similar skills).
Hard to give Baxter time when his shots are wild and don’t even draw iron. Anyone know if he does the same thing in practice? Can’t play him if he’s going to cost you the game.
Your inability to recognize talent is exasperating. Not only do you not recognize it, you continue to say the same things over and over about BYU’s lack of success, such as free throw shooting and why do other teams shoot so well against them.
The list of players, particularly big men that have left the program or never developed, is long and getting longer. Why you don’t see that as a problem is mind boggling. You continually blame the players and never the coach. Please answer the question of “why Worthington?” with a logical, justified response. Then explain why this team never seems to improve, why their big men never develop, why players like Childs are bombing away on 3’s at such a poor rate and why the team gives up 95 points on the road, has poor free throw shooting, etc. on a consistent basis.
Aro, thawk, Larimer and others are astute basketball fans. They know what they are talking about and they all say the same things. Try to read and comprehend what they are writing and maybe you will begin to see the same things… or maybe you won’t.
Admit the fact that maybe Rose has a problem… he continues to look to one or two players to carry the team. He focuses on a few key individuals and never really gets the TEAM to a point where they have any chemistry, where they trust and rely on each other, etc. It’s terrible… how can he justify Worthington? He does so because Luke reached his ceiling a long time ago and Rose has no interest in having an inside player who can contribute legitimately.
At the beginning of the year I was saying Baxter would start. But, since then, he looks lost and out of control. Childs doesn’t look lost and out of control. For that matter, neither does Worthington. Sometimes you look at a kid that can jump out of the gym and you think they have talent. Without the “serious” and “hard” work, the talent is worthless. Dastrup came back and was neither serious nor worked hard. He remained fat and out of shape the entire first year. So, the second year was like his first, not ready for prime time. And, he still didn’t appear serious. Maybe he’s finally matured and is ready, seriously. So, when he starts doing well for OS, everyone will blame Rose and point how well he is doing. Same thing happened with Chatman. But, I’m sure he wasn’t serious enough to learn the entire game as a freshman at BYU. He matured and started to work harder and be more serious.
I saw the same conditions with players at the high school level. As freshman, they may show some talent but their work and seriousness lacked. They didn’t improve on their talent because they were too immature. As they got older, those who stuck around got better and played more.
You see the same thing in the pros. Talented kids that never reach their full potential because they aren’t serious enough like the Jordan’s and Kobe’s of the world.
Also, try to remember Dastrup was a big and Chatman wasn’t. Rose can develop bigs like he does guards. It’s the motivation level of the athlete that is always the most important.
It does not help that Rose keeps coming up with different starting lineups.
It was good to see Emery come in at the end and make game saving free throws.
100% agree- BYU will not make the NIT because San Fran and San Diego are better this year. Just a fact
Finally, The Nose did his level best to screw BYU again. Those 2 fouls at the end got me fired up. What a crappy thing to do to any team.
Had Hardnett and Emery not made all four of their FTs, BYU would of lost.
Any idea who will be officiating the BYU vs SMC game tonight?
Certified referees. The question is will we make our layups and free throws:-)
you forgot to add one more item - less turnovers or no sloppy ball handling
Well that’s not happening.
Go back a few posts on this thread and re read your reply to me. Read your comments about Worthington. Are you joking?
“Childs doesn’t look lost and out of control. For that matter, neither does Worthington” grasshopper (about 10 hours before the St. Mary’s game.).
There is a reason this team is so bad right now… a 20 plus point loss to a St. Mary’s team that is supposed to be down and rebuilding? This was supposed to be an experienced BYU team with all the players who have played several years together now. Worthington is a senior and he looks like he has never played the game before at times. Where is the leadership? the cohesion and unity?
Embarrassing performance against St. Mary’s.
You are a prophet: 7 assists for BYU vs St Mary’s while SMC manages TEN steals to BYU’s one 