BYU vs Saint Mary's

[Wolverine]

Player ratings:

Saint Marys (2).PNG

I thought the first half we played horrible defense but were saved by our 3 point shooting. I like being aggressive and trapping/doubling, but our rotation was atrocious. Second half defense was much better. I liked the constant switch between man and 1-3-1. The 1-3-1 is my favorite zone. I like it much better than the 2-3.

KC had another awesome game. I'm surprised that Emery got so many minutes. He played just awful and that attempted dunk was just embarrassing. Kaufusi continues to play decent, but still lots of room for improvement. Davis is in a funk. He can get to the rim but just can't finish.

Awesome awesome win! We're still gonna have to win the conference tourney though...

Emery gots minutes even when he's off offensively, because he plays great defense. In fact, his offensive game would probably benefit if he rested a little more on defense, but I hope he keeps up his defensive intensity.

Emery is a Freshman and his peaks and valleys are what you would expect with a Freshman. I am okay with him hitting a little slump offensively right now as long as he cranks it back up for the home stretch. You surely can't question the guys heart and effort. He deserves to be on the floor.

[Brayden Green]

There has been some complaining about KC's "selfishness" costing us games, and maybe there's some truth in that on occasion. But last night we saw, a few minutes into the second half, a Jimmer-like taking control of the game by Kyle. It was almost like a switch turned on and he just willed the team to that ten-point lead. I know this depended in part on other players hitting their shots when he passed to them, but seeing that sheer intensity of will expressed again by a player on both the offensive and defensive side was pretty awesome.

I agree. I think we saw a little evolution in KC. He wasn't at all playing for the triple-double or anything else for that matter except the win.

Yep. He played without the ball a lot, moved around and posted. Then when he got doubled he found the open player. And surprise, surprise, we are winning games against good teams that have had BYU's number. I really liked what I saw from KC and the coaching staff. I hope they continue with this strategy and offense. Maybe they read CC and I'm about to get my big break

KC with the ball 15+ feet out. No bueno.

KC with the ball 12 feet in... a very, very dangerous player with a good set of skills.

I am liking the adjustments Rose and staff are making. Let's see if they can finish one or two in the conference. The WCC tournament is highly stacked towards the #1 and #2 seed.

[Brayden Green]

Emery struggled offensively but he is our best defensive player, by miles.

In a game that was won through defense and hustle Rose made the right call leaving him in.