SDSU

[rblack]

Our guys played a gutsy game. They mentally lost the game after the first OT slipped away. They started putting up early contested 3s instead of running the offense. They played hard against a top 20 team. I have zero complaints. They will beat some good teams this year.
That said, I'm seriously considering leaving this board permanently. There are way too many whiners.

[BroncoBot]

The point guard play tonight, especially of Collinsworth was superb. KC had zero tos. What did us in was NOT PG play but giving up too many offensive board and not making enough FTs. And one very bad no call at the end of the first OT

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Actually KC had 2 TOs.

[BroncoBot]

That said, I'm seriously considering leaving this board permanently. There are way too many whiners.

wha wha wha.

[Wolverine]

Very entertaining game. Team definitely had their chances. This is what? Game 4? Get 2 wins out of this tournament and head home calling it a success. A long season to go yet. Go Cougars!

I'm sorry, but that was a huge opportunity to take down a top 15 team and get some much needed respect going into WCC play. I'm not feeling the optimism right now.

There are like what.....another 12 or so games before WCC play against the likes of Utah, Utah St., Stanford, and UMass. Plenty of opportunities to "earn respect" as you put it. At least by cashing it in in November you will have plenty of time to catch up on all that Family History. Best of luck.

[Brayden Green]

I wonder how many assists we have on what number of baskets? It can't be good.

Too bad. Need to find a point guard Rose. Any chance that Calvert can come home a year early?

HINT: It's not WInder, Fischer, or KC. It might be Halford, but he wasn't great at protecting the ball, if I remember right. He might not be worse than those 3 though...

Looked it up. 13 assists on 30 made buckets.

[snoscythe]

SDSU shot 44% from from the arc tonight. Before tonight their FG% was 35%.

Seriously, Rose, where's the perimeter defense?

Has this EVER been addressed in any way, shape or form??? Emery was the last guy who prided himself in perimeter defense.

Winder is our best defender on the perimeter this year (and also the guard with the best first step on the outside) but seems forever destined to be a sub. Seemed to me like BYU played best when Winder was on the floor last night, and that always seems to be the case. He was also BYU's go to guy to be the full-court pressure as well. Why not put Winder at PG?

[Qman]

Haven't watched the game yet. Just the ESPN highlights. It looked like we had the game won in the 1st OT. And Kaufusi comes up with a huge block on a 3 point shot. I think it was Haws snags the rebound and just gets the ball ripped away. You need your seniors to make the plays to finish things out and holding onto the ball is a part of that.

Of course there were probably 10 plays like that in the game.

[Wolverine]

Haven't watched the game yet. Just the ESPN highlights. It looked like we had the game won in the 1st OT. And Kaufusi comes up with a huge block on a 3 point shot. I think it was Haws snags the rebound and just gets the ball ripped away. You need your seniors to make the plays to finish things out and holding onto the ball is a part of that.

Of course there were probably 10 plays like that in the game.

It was Fischer and it happened very quickly. Credit SDSU for making the play when they had to.

[craigoscarson]

Our problem is not the lack of a true point guard, it's the lack of a true post scorer and rebounder.

On the bright side.... Neilsen and Kaufusi are going to be AWESOME by the time they're seniors. Both are gamers, both are light years ahead of where Austin was as a freshman and both can go up and get a rebound or a block now. Neither have a single post move right now though.

I anticipate that by Christmas, Kaufusi and Neilsen will be getting the bulk of the minutes at the 5 and 4 respectively.

For those that have been bagging on KC... you're simply wrong in the head. KC was one of two players for BYU that did not get overwhelmed by SDSUs athleticism (the other was Corbin, who gave them problems). Haws was often one step behind when he tried to create for himself, Winders half hearted attempts at drives were swatted away, Fischer had a hard time getting loose and then got tired shooters legs... yet KC was one player ahead of SDSU no matter who they put on him. He is our best overall player. He is our best shot at a pro that can last for a while in the league. He is the biggest reason we were in the game last night. For all his warts, he is a matchup nightmare for other teams.

Now the other take home, is that we can play with the big boys. Remember it wasn't that far in the past where many speculated that KC wouldn't be a factor til late December and if we didn't have Aytes we would get run off the court... well Nielsen and Kaufusi aren't chopped liver and Haws and Fischer are enough to put points on the scoreboard. We aren't great, but we're good enough to make the dance and on a given day we can beat a top 25 team no doubt.

I am very upset though that we didn't close the deal on what would have been a "stanford 2013" type of signature win, early in the season. That hurts. But I also was very happy to see that this team can compete and I'm incredibly excited to watch Nielsen and Kaufusi grow....

Remember this... people saw a freshman Hartsock and called him garbage and not D1 material... Nielsen and Kaufusi have higher ceilings than Noah and they're just freshmen. That's exciting... throw in Dastrup, Mika (and Worthington I suppose) then a couple stretch 4s like Nixon/Aytes (if we ever see Aytes) and BYU will have more studs in the front court for BYU since the mid 1980s. Kaufusi has a very very very high ceiling, he's a freak.

Btw I like how Steve Fischer has built this SDSU team. Long guards, athletic forwards and a shot blocking center. This is the type of team that doesn't get beaten by mediocre teams. The portlands and saint mary's of the world don't have career nights against a team like SDSU because their length, athleticism and shot blocking show up every night. Now BYU will never be able to replicate the athleticism but we can put together a better basketball team (every SDSU player on the court had major holes in their game, but their athleticism helps hide it and what Fischer has decided to do is recruit them all long and all athletic so that while individually they have warts, collectively their athleticism is overwhelming.)

It's sad that Haws and KC won't be around to play with what will be a fabulous frontcourt for years to come... but how can you not salivate looking at our bigs for the next 6-7 years
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**Keep in mind I fully believe that Kaufusi and Neilsen will be light years better next year, particularly since I don't think the spotlight bothers them now... Austin, Hartsock, Worthington, and even Mika often left the game get the best of them as freshmen, yet Nielsen and Kaufusi were pretty cool last night in crucial minutes... that bodes well. And if you don't know how good Kyle Davis is, then watch out... the dude is a gamer and rebounding machine "mr. double double"**

next year
Kaufusi 6'11"
Davis 6'7"
Neilsen 6'11"
Aytes 6'6"
Worthington 6'10"
(I expect Nixon to go on his mission, scholarships are going to be tight)

I could see a scenario where we play zone on D and put a devastating lineup of
KC, Fischer, Davis, Neilsen, and Kaufusi on the court... that is a defensively strong lineup and a lineup that would rebound and cause crazy matchup nightmares

Where do you hide the 6'1" guards? How do you outrebound that team? How do you guard Neilsen on the perimeter AND Davis in the post?

We lose Haws, but gain a crazy amount of length and give our young bigs a chance to spread their wings. I like next years team very much. I like this years team but sadly our bigs are too young (kaufusi/nielsen) or too soft (austin/worthington) or not playing (aytes/davis)

[BoiseBYU]

The point guard play tonight, especially of Collinsworth was superb. KC had zero tos. What did us in was NOT PG play but giving up too many offensive board and not making enough FTs. And one very bad no call at the end of the first OT

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

Actually KC had 2 TOs.

6 assists to 2 turnovers is a pretty good ratio. Bagging on the point guards last night is just wrong. Some only seem to exist though to whine and bag. I am really bummed we lost but much more heartened by what I saw last night.