San Diego in the Marriott

Normally I wouldn’t say much about this team but they have just won 3 straight so I will plug my nose and scout them.

They are a Sr. lead team so they can be dangerous…maybe to Weber State or USU, who by the way just dropped their 3rd staight, which is a big surprise.

Earlington, 6’6 is their leading scorer and do it all man. Toundsand is their assist and best outside %.
That is about it.

BYU is a 15 point favorite, I say over 20 and we get to 80 in this game. Plenty of time to rest Barcello and lucas. Get Erickson, Atiki, Johnson, Knight some well-deserved play time.

Aren’t they getting back two players from injury that are their best players? It was mentioned on Sports Nation today.

Doesn’t look like a pushover so far. They got back their players. We need tighter defense

Another win and alone second place.
It was nice to see George big run in scoring in the second half.
No show on Lohner tonight, must be looking at a cute girl I guess.
Again referees are idiots.
Luckily BYU men’s basketball don’t play USD in San Diego this year.

refs totally let that game get out of hand. At one point, after barcello was body checked 2 feet from the outside ref. He just stopped play and glared at the ref for a second. Terrible.

Refs did a good job in the first half. Second half they lost control. But, we shot more free throws this game.
Lohner just has to concentrate more on his layups and not if he’s going to get bumped.

1st thing, San Diego is going to upset some WCC teams, they are solid and it’s a good thing BYU doesn’t have to play them in San Diego this year. Really caught me by surprise.

George had himself a big 2nd half. Knight had his best game as a cougar. He was everywhere in the 1st half and showed glimpses of a guy that is capable of a 30 point night. No doubt these to guys stepped up big time when Knell and Lohner were not their normal selves.

Barcello wills himself to 22 points, he is remarkable in his consistency.

Traore was the lone man down low after Atiki got tossed. Traore blows my mind that a 6’6 guy can dominate so well down low.

Johnson was quiet but very effective in his work, really kept their sharp shooter from getting open looks in the 2nd.

BYU shot 31% in the 1st half, just stunk it up.
BYU shot 69% in the 2nd. 50 points in the 2nd, just tore it up.

I predict that SDSU ends up 5th in the WCC, a whole lot better then their ranking would show right now

Fouss is 6’6”. So was Barkley and Wes Unseld. Fousse has a 39” vertical leap and quick off the ground with excellent footwork. Does he have a chance like Barkley and Unseld?
Yes, SD is better as they are finally 100% healthy. They can stay with SF and St. Mary’s.

Seneca and George off the bench:
24pts
12rb
5 asst.
ZERO TO
Great defense
Ballgame.

well, that’s never happened before. George and Knight had quit a night.

Now for some rest for our starters in the Portland game. I would give Atiki 25 minutes and even try a combo of Atiki at 5, Foos at 4

Not sure about the “cute girls” part, But I think Lohner is still in development mode. Much like Jimmer and previous “Stars” they needed a couple of years to mature into good players.

Here is an article about him:
BYU basketball: Why Caleb Lohner reminds some of former Duke star - Deseret News

Floyd, you are 1000% right! Lohner still commits silly fouls that force him to sit, sometimes is hesitant to shoot and other times jacks up 3s way too fast, etc. BUT nearly if not every game he does something that requires extreme athleticism and it shows us his upside.

Last night: tight game, run full speed down the lane, take a pass, and go up in traffic over bigs to slam it home with two hands. With Bax out, Lohner is the only guy on the team who can do that. Just a glimmer of what he is capable of doing when he is just playing and not thinking too much…I still think he will be A FULL BLOWN STAR before he is done.

Props to USD–they came to play and they were much better getting to the rim than I thought they would be and that allowed them to hang in there for about 3/4 of the game.

I’d love to see Erickson for 20 or more minutes tomorrow. Pope has a lot riding on him with Te’jon and AB leaving after this season. I think Erickson has the skills to be a high end PG for BYU. The athleticism, size and strength are not in question, but I want to see his decision making and handle under pressure, which we can’t evaluate when he is just in a game in garbage time.

No doubt. When you look at the make up of this year’s team. We have to have AB or Lucas out on the floor 100% of the time. We have a GLUT of talent at the 2-3 position. We would also be solid at the 4 if we had ligit 5s. It is a miracle that Pope has this record with the 2 loses of Bax. and Harward.

Everyone, wrap your head around the fact that our 5 (Foos) is only 6’6. He is a natural 4 and yet he doesn’t just play the 5 but dominates at the 5. Next year’s transfer portal for BYU has to be a seasoned PG and a Ligit 5. Baxter was never a 5 yet with someone like Foos at the 4 or even Lohner, he was more then up to the task.

As Pope put it last night, “Foos has literally saved Barcello’s Sr season.” I would also say that with Atiki’s progression, He will have a big impact on our road game against SMC and post season play. He is figuring things out FAST. just watch his active high pics when we have the ball. Very excited.

I can’t really find fault with any of the players. With the loss of Baxter and Harward, they are undersized and are overcoming it with sheer toughness and the experience of Lucas and Barcello. Knight was key against San Diego, but everyone contributed and that is what it’s going to require every game this year. Erickson is an unknown factor right now, but he seems to have skills. Where does he get the minutes, though. Playing at garbage time, when the game is already won or lost doesn’t tell us a whole lot. Playing with the regular rotation, when the game is still on the line shows more. Johnson has been in a shooting slump a bit, but I think Pope likes his experience and he can make clutch plays and plays good team defense. Tough call, but I don’t know how he fits in the rotation if the other players are healthy. Next year, however, Erickson and Trey will have to play major roles for BYU

Nothing has been said about Atiki’s early exit last night. Personally, the SD player was charging him and Atiki just reacted but not at his head. I didn’t see the elbow connect with the head. I saw his hand hit the shoulder of the guy. Anyway, has there been any further backlash? Is he suspended for Saturday’s game?

I thought USD played very well and BYU played a little better than that. This was a great game to watch. It was intense, hard fought and played the way basketball should be played, with passion and effort on both sides of the ball. Props to USD for bringing everything they had and playing with grit. It was like Riley Nelson was on the court!

Good game for BYU to gain experience, better than Saint Mary’s game. That was a snoozer. I have been vey impressed with the players on the team this year as they work hard and have tried to play together and develop/improve. They will be ready for any post season play and with Pope at the helm, anything is possible.

It was exciting! Those elbows and fists being thrown. Barcello turning and staring down the referee was classic. See tonight if we can get someone else tossed from the game. Exciting! Feels like I’m back at BYU sparring up on the wrestling mats again :slight_smile:
I’ll have to wait until I get back from SC Adult session. Will you be channel flipping between ZOOM and the game?

It was good that they asked you to give the closing prayer to help you prioritize! :sunglasses:

I gave up watching the entire 49ers game so I could watch the session. It was also good because San Francisco came back at the end and beat the Packers in brutal conditions. Did they win because I sacrificed and only watched the game at the beginning and end? No

But sometimes when you do the right thing it goes good and that is what I am thinking right about now.

Plus, the 49ers have Fred Warner and they are on fire right now!