BYU basketball's overtime collapse launches Ole Miss to a win

It wasn't the result that we had hoped for, but BYU basketball will clearly be competitive this season.

BYU basketball fell in overtime to the 23rd-ranked Ole Miss Rebels on Thanksgiving afternoon to the tune of 96-85. After leading the game with under two minutes remaining in this contest, the Cougars failed to stop the Rebels from evening the deficit, and nearly saw a full-court prayer seal the game as regulation expired.

The Cougars were outscored 19-8 in the additional period, thanks to a increasingly-tight whistle and a bevy of free throws. Of the Rebels 19, 14 points came from the charity stripe, while BYU only made 3. This desparity drew some criticism online, as many felt the officiating had drastically shifted since regulation.

But blaming this result on the referees is both immature and irresponsible. If the Cougars were to earn this win, they could have accomplished that before the end of the second half.

After starting the game on fire, at one point extending their lead to 10, BYU's shooting took a nose dive. Finishing a competitive game with a team as good as Ole Miss will take better numbers than 40% from the field.

But turnovers were the real story in this one. The Cougs coughed it up regularly, and Ole Miss didn't hesitate to convert those miscues into baskets on the other end. When you hand a kid a Twix bar, don't be shocked when he snarfs both sticks down.

BYU's 17 turnovers were converted into 23 points on the night, while the Rebels protected possession expertly, only allowing 9 turnovers of their own--which BYU earned 13 points from.

But, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, this game should project well for BYU basketball. They played a rough game against a very good team, and still nearly came out on top. Despite the turnovers, Kevin Young's squad looked competent and prepared to handle the gauntlet that the Big 12 schedule will have in store for them.

This is a young team with a new coach, and they matched Ole Miss' talented roster all night long. The Cougars could be a team that peaks at the right moment this season, and if they can keep this up, there's no reason to count them out as Big 12 contenders if the year falls their way.

Egor scored 16 points to go with 4 assists and 3 rebounds on the night. He coughed it up 5 times, however, so he'll need to tighten up as the Cougars face increasingly tough defenders this season.

Kanon Catchings was a bright spot in the Cougars' rotation, hitting 5-10 from deep and scoring a team-high 17 points, his draft stock should be on the rise as he looks every part of a capable shooter on the next level.

Fousseyni Traore continues to be a dominant force down low, despite his comparatively slight frame. The Yoda of the roster, opponents would be foolish to judge him by his size. He makes up the difference in so many ways, and his poster-worthy slam has been on repeat across social media.

This loss moves the Cougs into the loser's bracket, and matches them up with NC State today at 1:30 PM.

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