Safety First: How BYU Basketball can take down the Utes
By Shaun Gordon
Defend the Perimeter
If the Cougars are going to get those transition opportunities, it’ll start at the defensive end of the court.
Utah is a decent shooting team (46.2% FG, 36.5% 3PT), but not a great one. They’ll hit open shots if the opportunity arises, and their guards can get to the hoop and create.
And while BYU’s post defense has been solid this season, their perimeter defense hasn’t been nearly as good, allowing too much dribble penetration and too many good looks from three.
Fortunately the Cougars have one of their best defensive guards back in action in Nick Emery. As long as he puts safety first he’ll play a big part in that perimeter improvement.
BYU will have to keep an eye on two guards in particular. Sedrick Barefield leads the Utes with 13.7 points per game, and he shoots a solid 36.6% from deep. But more importantly he’s their best ballhanlder and distributor, so if he gets into the lane he’ll make the Cougars pay.
Parker Van Dyke is their best shooter, hitting 40.6% of his threes. And that’s his offensive game – shooting from distance. 32 of his 35 shot attempts so far this season have come from beyond the arc.
If the Cougars can keep Barefield out of the lane and deny Van Dyke room to shoot, they’re going to hold the Utes to a low percentage and turn that into transition opportunities.