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BYU Basketball: Takeaways from the Utah State win

By Shaun Gordon

LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 03: Brigham Young Cougars mascot Cosmo the Cougar performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament against the San Diego Toreros at the Orleans Arena on March 3, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cougars won 85-79. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - MARCH 03: Brigham Young Cougars mascot Cosmo the Cougar performs during the team's quarterfinal game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament against the San Diego Toreros at the Orleans Arena on March 3, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Cougars won 85-79. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Nick Emery’s season debut was a success, as BYU Basketball used an offensive outpouring to take down in-state opponent Utah State.

It feels good to be back in the win column.

It’s even more satisfying for BYU Basketball to take down an in-state opponent who’s one of the hottest teams in the Country.

The Cougars played a dominant first half of basketball, then held on for the 95-80 win over Utah State.

Gone is the three-game losing streak, replaced by Nick Emery.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Wednesday night’s win:

Starting Cannon

Dave Rose went with an interesting starting lineup:

  • Jashire Harnett
  • McKay Cannon
  • TJ Haws
  • Zac Seljaas
  • Yoeli Childs

Before the game, Rose mentioned that the change was based on this game’s matchup. He wanted Cannon in for defense and Seljaas as a stretch four for spacing.

It worked on the defensive end much better than on the offensive end. BYU didn’t hit their stride on offense in either half until some of the bench players hit the court, namely Nick Emery and Connor Harding.

He’s Back

Emery looked impressive in his first game back. He hit his first shot of the game, a three-pointer, not long after he checked in. He hit three of them in total, finishing with 11 points and two assists.

Aside from a little bit of foul trouble he was solid on defense as well. Emery spent most of his time guarding Sam Merrill, Utah State’s best scorer, and did a good job on him. Plus he added two steals.

Those stats may not me eye-popping, but it’s exactly what the Cougars need from him going forward. Anything more is just icing on the cake.

Childs’ Play

Yoeli Childs set a career high in points on Saturday’s loss to Weber State with 31. Then he matched it on Wednesday.

He couldn’t have been much more efficient, shooting 11-18 from the field and 8-8 from the free throw line. Plus he added seven rebounds.

And five steals.

Key Freshman

Connor Harding had a solid night, setting a career high with 14 points. He did it on 5-6 shooting, adding and assist and a rebound.

Harding is a key part of the rotation with his versatility and smart play. He’s struggled with consistency, but most freshmen do. As that consistency improves he’ll be an even bigger piece to BYU’s success.

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Offensive Explosion

The Cougars are averaging 89 points per game over their last eight games, and that includes their 62-point dud against Houston.

BYU is playing good offensive basketball right now, and even starting to hit their three-point shots. They hit 11 of their 24 treys (45.8%) against the Aggies after hitting 5 of 14 (35.7%) against Weber State. Their shooting is trending in the right direction.

Defensive Concern

BYU played solid defense in the first half, but allowed Utah State to rattle off 46 second-half points.

That’s the latest example of a disturbing trend. The Cougars have been outscored after halftime in each of their last four games, giving up an average of 49.5 points in the second period.

Whatever is causing the defense to decay throughout the game needs to be corrected quickly, since the Cougars are entering a brutal stretch of their schedule.

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