BYU basketball: Cougars make a statement in win over UVU
BYU basketball went into Utah Valley University looking for revenge after the Wolverines defeated them in the Marriott Center last season. The Cougars got it, winning 85-58.
What a difference a year makes for BYU basketball. Twelve months ago, the Wolverines marched into the Marriott Center and punched the Cougars in the mouth.
Tonight BYU basketball returned the favor.
Led by a career-high 24 points from Yoeli Childs, the Cougars picked apart the Wolverines 85-58 on Wednesday night.
UVU jumped out to an early 10-9 lead, and that would be its last of the ball game as the Cougars used crisp passes (25 assists on 28 field goals) and toughness to find open looks and score in the paint. BYU shot 53 percent on the night and had 10 different players score.
There was a lot of talk about UVU pulling off the upset here. The arena sold out for the first time in history and the fans were loud from well before tip-off.
But it didn’t matter.
The Cougars played as focused and sharply as they ever have in recent memory, channeling the last five minutes of the UMass game for about 30 minutes or so on Wednesday. It was clear that BYU basketball was sending a message.
Honestly, it’s refreshing to see.
After the Cougars laid an egg for the second time in as many games against UT-Arlington earlier this season it was tough to know what kind of mentality the team would have. Now it appears the Mavericks just had more talent, and that the Cougars can scrap with any team.
And most importantly, they can win the games they’re supposed to win – something the Cougars haven’t always been able to do.
Three things we learned
1. McKay Cannon will be a rotation player. News came out just a few hours before the game that Weber State transfer McKay Cannon received a waiver from the NCAA. No one really expected much from him, but he turned in an impressive performance, scoring eight points and dishing out eight assists. He also didn’t hesitate to jaw-jack with the Wolverines.
2. Mentality is everything. I don’t think that BYU basketball’s problem in recent years has been the roster – the talent had been there. If anything, I think the trouble was all above the neck. There was a mentality issue in Provo. The Cougars always talked about defense, but they never improved. Enter Heath Schroyer, and look at the difference.
3. Cougars clamped down on former player. Isaac Neilson dominated BYU last season after transferring out of the program. On Wednesday night the big man did next to nothing, scoring just two points.