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BYU Basketball: Keys to winning the Cougars’ final home game of 2018

By Shaun Gordon

SPOKANE, WA - FEBRUARY 03: Yoeli Childs #23 of the BYU Cougars controls a rebound against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center on February 3, 2018 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images)
SPOKANE, WA - FEBRUARY 03: Yoeli Childs #23 of the BYU Cougars controls a rebound against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center on February 3, 2018 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 06: Jahshire Hardnett #0 of the Brigham Young Cougars drives against Josh Perkins #13 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 06: Jahshire Hardnett #0 of the Brigham Young Cougars drives against Josh Perkins #13 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

Take Care of the Ball

Portland State plays a pressure defense throughout the entire game. As a result, they force plenty of turnovers and tend to cause chaos for offensive flow. In fact, they cause 21.5 turnovers on average, good for No. 2 in the nation.

On the flip side, BYU has been very good in general at taking care of the ball. They’re 10th in the nation in turnovers per game, giving it up just 10.1 times each match.

The Cougars have handled pressure defenses well this season, but they haven’t faced one that plays that way consistently.

It’s too easy to get complacent every now and then. And the Vikings will make the Cougars pay if they do that.

For the most part, responsibility for breaking the pressure will fall on Jashire Hardnett and TJ Haws, but all of the players have to be prepared.

Pressure defense has it’s disadvantages, though. If you can break the press you’ll tend to get good looks, especially in the post. Look for Yoeli Childs to have another monster game.

If the Cougars are able to get out and run on turnovers and missed shots they’ll be able to avoid much of the pressure. BYU wants to run, and this is the perfect game for them to do just that.

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