BYU Basketball: Keys to getting back on track against Illinois State
By Shaun Gordon
Hit Open Shots
More often than not a team will shoot worse on the road than they do at home.
Well, BYU can’t shoot much worse on the road than they have at home, so something’s gotta give.
Hopefully that’ll be an awakening of the Cougars’ shooting touch. BYU is shooting just 28.8% from distance so far this season, making them one of the 60 worst teams nationwide from three-point range.
Opponents will pack the paint until the Cougars can reverse that trend and make them pay from distance. Expect to see Illinois State double-team Yoeli Childs and dare BYU to hit their shots.
So far TJ Haws has been hitting his (41% from range), and Zac Seljaas has been above-average from deep (38.2%), but no other Cougar is shooting above 30%.
Players like Jashire Hardnett, McKay Cannon, Connor Harding, Dalton Nixon, and Childs are capable of hitting jumpers, but that hasn’t translated to successful shooting in games.
Reinforcements are on the way in the form of Nick Emery, a career 38% shooter from deep, but he won’t be able to hit the floor until next week.
Until then, and even with Emery back, BYU’s role players have to step up and start hitting their shots.
Childs and Haws can’t be the only consistent scorers if the Cougars want to start beating the good teams they face.