BYU basketball: Three things the Cougars can do post-Eric Mika

Dig in defensively

Well, to be completely honest, this is something BYU basketball needs to do regardless of who is or isn’t on the roster.

The Cougars clearly lacked fundamentals defensively. I don’t think that’s news to anyone. But, perhaps more disturbingly, (and regardless of what analysts may say) the Cougars often lacked effort.

In fact, the only time the Cougars showed any effort is when the ball was going in the basket. If they weren’t scoring, they visibly got rattled and the effort fluctuated with that. I’d like to see BYU basketball start making a name for itself defensively. Or, at the very least, display the necessary effort.

Maybe Mika’s departure forces the remaining players to wake up and realize they all need to play better. If not, Yoeli Childs may be one of the few competent defenders on the roster.