CougarCorner

We keep getting close and turning the ball over. This team plays tough but so sloppy.

We get stops and then run down the floor to either turn the ball over or take a bad shot.

6 min left and we have 17 turnovers.

Pope needs to spend the off season getting a solid PG, a couple shooters, and preaching ball security. For how much this team turns the ball over it's amazing we are doing as well as we are this season.

We played Gonzaga tough and I love Barcello's heart. But there have been some, IMO, very disappointing performances this season which Gonzaga, as good teams will do, exploited.

Haarms - should not be starting. Put Harwood in there. How can he be two inches from the basket and with his height miss?
Harding - I really thought that he COULD have been the guy to step up t his year, but wow has he regressed. Against Gonzaga he could barely hold onto the ball and missed several wide open layups. Not too impressed with his defense either.

There were some good performances

Lohner - played intense D and shot efficiently. As long as he's not making dumb mistakes he needs to continue to get 30+ minutes.
George - played decent and I like what he has to offer and I think will continue to improve
Johnson - good game, but needs to be more consistent. He can shoot and play D, but we need to see this every game
Harwood - if he can keep his fouls down (including his offensive ones) then he should get more minutes.

And then there is the matter of starting almost every game very cold. At this point this is a team trait and as much as I love Coach Pope that is on him to fix (unless we just have the wrong players). If we start this game with just an average intensity then this is potentially an upset. We can't spend 5 minutes trying to get our first two baskets. And this is not just a Gonzaga thing. Has happened way too often this season.

I thought there were moments where our defense was outstanding, but the turnovers were definitely killers. One thing I notice (again!) last night was how sloopy/loose our screen setting was. It led to more dribbling and fewer opportunities to exploit. The difference with how sharp Gonzaga screened was noticeable. Oh and Suggs is really really good.

byufan4ever wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 2:38 pm We played Gonzaga tough and I love Barcello's heart. But there have been some, IMO, very disappointing performances this season which Gonzaga, as good teams will do, exploited.

Haarms - should not be starting. Put Harwood in there. How can he be two inches from the basket and with his height miss?
Harding - I really thought that he COULD have been the guy to step up t his year, but wow has he regressed. Against Gonzaga he could barely hold onto the ball and missed several wide open layups. Not too impressed with his defense either.

There were some good performances

Lohner - played intense D and shot efficiently. As long as he's not making dumb mistakes he needs to continue to get 30+ minutes.
George - played decent and I like what he has to offer and I think will continue to improve
Johnson - good game, but needs to be more consistent. He can shoot and play D, but we need to see this every game
Harwood - if he can keep his fouls down (including his offensive ones) then he should get more minutes.

And then there is the matter of starting almost every game very cold. At this point this is a team trait and as much as I love Coach Pope that is on him to fix (unless we just have the wrong players). If we start this game with just an average intensity then this is potentially an upset. We can't spend 5 minutes trying to get our first two baskets. And this is not just a Gonzaga thing. Has happened way too often this season.

Flat out Gonzaga is just good, at Gonzaga they more or less took away BYU's guards and BYU's Big's stepped up:
Haarms 13 points, FG 5-6, 1 rebound in 22 minutes
Harward 12 points, FG 5-7, 4 rebounds in 16 minutes
Lee 5 points, FG 2-4, 4 rebounds in 14 minutes
Lohner 13 points, FG 5-7, 5 rebounds in 24 minutes
George 11 points, FG 5-10, 5 rebounds, in 20 minutes
Totals 54 points, FG 22-34, 19 rebounds, in 96 minutes
---
Barcello 9 points, FG 3-11, 5 rebounds in 30 minutes
Averette 3 points, FG 1-5, 0 rebounds in 26 minutes
Harding 0 points, FG 0-2, 3 rebounds in 17 minutes
Johnson 3 points, FG 1-7, 7 rebounds in 23 minutes
Knell 0 points, FG 0-2, 0 rebounds in 5 minutes
Totals 15 points, FG 5-27, 15 rebounds, in 101 minutes

Vs Last Night when Gonzaga focused on BYU's Big's and not so much on the guards. Gonzaga went with a smaller line up and BYU matched it (between Haarms, Harward, & Lee 33 minutes):
Haarms 0 points, FG 0-1, 1 rebound in 16 minutes
Harward 2 points, FG 1-2, 5 rebounds in 14 minutes
Lee 0 points, FG 0-0, 1 rebound in 3 minutes
Lohner 9 points, FG 3-5, 8 rebounds in 32 minutes
George 5 points, FG 2-3, 2 rebounds, in 20 minutes
Totals 16 points, FG 5-11, 17 rebounds, in 85 minutes
---
Barcello 20 points, FG 9-16, 4 rebounds in 33 minutes
Averette 14 points, FG 6-15, 3 rebounds in 26 minutes
Harding 4 points, FG 1-4, 0 rebounds in 17 minutes
Johnson 11 points, FG 4-7, 4 rebounds in 24 minutes
Knell 6 points, FG 2-5, 1 rebound in 15 minutes
Totals 55 points, FG 22-47, 12 rebounds, in 115 minutes

It's crazy how BYU kind of just flip flopped in their 2 games against Gonzaga and both games it looked like BYU was really rushed in the start... That gave Gonzaga easy points on turnovers and BYU missed most of the shots they did take.

This team seems jittery. I wonder how much that has to do with so many new players and little time to practice before the season started because of COVID.

Timing seems off on plays. They seem to hesitate a bit. Chemistry isn't as crisp as we've seen with other teams. I also think we were really spoiled with how well Haws and Yeoli ran the pick and roll last season.

I too have been a bit unimpressed with Haarms. Great shot blocker and a great presence in the key but on the offensive side of the board I expected more. Still...as far as 7 footers go, he's definitely one of the better ones we've had at BYU.

Harward should be starting, and I hope George continues to s

Harding was a disappointment last night. Missed layups, turnovers, and passing on open looks. When he drove to the basketball had a lane but then passed it out through traffic, I wasn't surprised he got pulled. George should get more of Harding's minutes.

GAKunkel wrote: ↑Tue Feb 09, 2021 9:27 pm This team seems jittery. I wonder how much that has to do with so many new players and little time to practice before the season started because of COVID.

Timing seems off on plays. They seem to hesitate a bit. Chemistry isn't as crisp as we've seen with other teams. I also think we were really spoiled with how well Haws and Yeoli ran the pick and roll last season.

I too have been a bit unimpressed with Haarms. Great shot blocker and a great presence in the key but on the offensive side of the board I expected more. Still...as far as 7 footers go, he's definitely one of the better ones we've had at BYU.

Harward should be starting, and I hope George continues to s

Harding was a disappointment last night. Missed layups, turnovers, and passing on open looks. When he drove to the basketball had a lane but then passed it out through traffic, I wasn't surprised he got pulled. George should get more of Harding's minutes.

I just finished a "What If" post... What if Barcello and Averette take the bonus year at BYU, giving BYU 15 scholarship players next year. BYU would have the same team minus Haarms, but plus hopefully a healthy Gavin Baxter, Fousseyni Traore 6' 7" 235 (he might have another inch or 2 in him, father is 6' 10" and mother is 6' 1"), and maybe a healthy Wyatt Lowell (likely 2 years away). Then add in Nate Hansen 6' 3" 165 (PG), Trey Stewart 6' 3" 170 (CG), and walk-on Jeremy Dowdell 6' 4" 175 (wing). It would give these return missionaries time to get their games back.

Yeah, the team hasn't gelled yet. They have some great talents but not a lot of flow. Turnovers are the a real killer for this team. Lots of lazy passes. Gonzaga is so good.

Very good point, because there is around 2 to 5 turnovers a game where you just shake your head and say why or what are you thinking or it's just not there. Last year BYU had a few of those, but this there seems to be many more of them. 2019-20 32 games 354 turnovers (11.0625 per game) vs 2020-21 20 games 275 turnovers (13.75 per game).