BYU basketball suffered yet another road loss on the season in a 1-point overtime loss to in-state rival Utah, and if we're being candid, this one was endlessly winnable.
While both teams shot poorly on the night, every single-possession game sparks over-analyzation, and with the poor season BYU basketball has already endured, we can't help but consider what could have been in the game that sent the Cougars down to 2-4 in the Big 12 and 0-4 in road contests.
In the overtime period, shooting specialist and super senior Trevin Knell drew a foul in the final seconds. The clock read 0:06. Stepping to the line, catching the ball, cast off into a lifeboat. Knell stood alone, frantically scanning the ever-shrinking target of the red-orange rim before him.
Thunk. Thunk. He pounded the ball into the floorboards as the hostile crowd screeched in disapproval. Bending his knees, loading up, and finally releasing, Knell's shot clanked off the rim. With a one-point deficit, he controlled the fate of the game, with 2 attempts to claim a victory in overtime.
Knell's miss was the fatal development in this game, as his contribution finalized a 40% result from the line in another edition of horrific free throw shooting for Kevin Young's squad.
Against the 348th-rated free throw shooters in college hoops, BYU's opponents hit only 53% of their 32 tries. The Cougars converted a measly 40% of their 10 tries.
32-10--a 22-point discrepancy. BYU sipped from a puddle as the Utes chugged from their daily 44-oz. dirty Diet Coke. A shocking difference, but in a game that came down to a single point, every made free throw counts. Had the Cougars scored one more free throw in regulation, they likely win this contest.
The difference should be assigned to the difference in play style, not officiating bias, as BYU was more content to shoot hook shots, 3-pointers, and jump shots, while the Utes attacked the rim and took the battle to the Cougars.
It hurts to lose a second straight battle with their bitter rivals, especially on the road, but this loss was on the Cougars, not the referees.
The Kevin Young era is off to a rough start.