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BYU Basketball: Scouting the San Diego Toreros

By Adam Gibby

OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 06: A detailed view ot the official Spalding NBA basketball held in the air by referee Lauren Holtkamp #7 during an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on February 6, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - FEBRUARY 06: A detailed view ot the official Spalding NBA basketball held in the air by referee Lauren Holtkamp #7 during an NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on February 6, 2018 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 03: Head coach Dave Rose of the BYU Basketball looks on during a 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: Head coach Dave Rose of the BYU Basketball looks on during a 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) /

Somehow BYU has not played the San Diego Toreros this season despite playing every other team in the Conference once and three teams twice.

At this time of year you would think that BYU would have already played every WCC team at least once. With nine other teams in the conference and only five games remaining, BYU is preparing to meet the Toreros for the first time on Thursday, February 14th.

Here is a full breakdown of the Toreros:

Basic Stats:

Overall Record: 16-9

WCC Record: 5-5

Home Record: 11-1

Best Win: Versus San Fransisco 67-63

Worst Loss: Versus Drake 110-103 (2OT)

Offense:

Points Per Game: 73.5

Top Scorer: Isaiah Pineiro (19.3 PPG)

Shooting Percentage:  47.1%

Assists Per Game: 15.4

Turnovers Per Game: 13.2

Overall: The Torero’s offense is similar to BYU’s in that it relies heavy on using efficient three point shooting to create inside play. San Diego averages  7.6 made three pointers a game on 34.5% shooting from deep, both pretty good numbers. To put some perspective, BYU is averaging 7.0 three point makes and 32.5% shooting from deep. We all know that BYU has lived and died on the three at points this season and San Diego is no different.

Defense:

Points Allowed Per Game: 68.0

Shooting Defense Percentage: 43.8%

Rebounds Per Game: 34.4

Blocks Per Game: 3.1

Steals Per Game: 5.7

Overall: Any team that holds teams to 68 points per game 25 games into the season is a pretty good defensive team. All season the Toreros have allowed only two teams to score more than 80 points in regulation. Those two teams were Ole Miss and Gonzaga. However, in games decided by five points or less they are 4-4 meaning that if BYU can keep it close in the end they will have a good shot of pulling out the win.

Prediction

Isaiah Pineiro is probably the most underrated player in the WCC. He is a top five scorer and rebounder in the Conference. The only player who consistently is ranked higher than him is Yoeli Childs. Both teams shoot the three ball around the same percentage and shoot it just as frequently. On a neutral court if these two teams played ten times, each team would probably win five. In San Diego though, I am going to give the slight edge to the Toreros. But if BYU plays their normal game and can either slow down Pineiro OR keep the Toreros from getting hot behind the arc, BYU could give USD their second home loss of the year.

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