For an entire half of basketball, the 11th-ranked BYU Cougars were borderline unrecognizable. But I guess that's sort of been this team's M.O. for the majority of the season, hasn't it? A stagnant first-half followed by a rocket-powered second has been the story of most tight games on the year, and TCU's defense gave Kevin Young's side fits. Shooting well below 30% from the field and hitting just one three-pointer in the Cougars' return to the Marriott Center, the Big Three of Dybantsa, Saunders, and Wright combined for just 24 points.
As many have feared regarding that trio's dominance, when they aren't clicking, the entire team follows suit. It was no wonder why the Cougars trailed 30-36 at halftime; TCU had shut down the BYU offensive machine.
BYU entered this game shallow in the front court with Bido Ahmed and Xavion Staton out and a (very) quick whistle forcing Keba Keita into foul trouble and kicking Mihailo Boskovic and Khadim Mboup (also in early foul trouble) to fill in the gaps at the 5.
Let me put it this way, the referees called the game very strictly against the home Cougars, giving Saunders and Mboup four fouls before the first six minutes of the second half had burned.
Fortunately, AJ Dybantsa found his groove offensively in the second, dropping 11 points in that same six-minute portion. His ability to finish through contact had the Horned Frogs tattered on the defensive end. That, plus his three-pointer finally finding its target reliably. Before this game, he had been shooting the long ball below the 33% mark. But hitting his first two threes of the period absolutely took the lid off the Marriott Center, and finally gave BYU some breathing room on the scoreboard.
...It also helped that the referee's whistles turned back the other way, evening the foul count at 6 by the 11-minute mark.
Still, BYU's game-high seven-point lead began to dwindle as Dybantsa took a brief rest and the offense ground to a halt. TCU whittled the difference down to zero before a 63-63 stale mate ensued.
Mboup played huge minutes in Ahmed's absence, and fell under a well-deserved wave of applause from the fans in attendance. Though it didn't show especially on the box score, his contribution was critical as TCU's upset bid refused to die down the stretch.
But the Cougars kept an iron grip on the score differential. A huge three from Saunders (his only three-pointer of the game), floater by Keita, and punctuating free throws finalized a result that was much too close for comfort for Kevin Young and his shorthanded Cougs.
Boskovic put his heart in every minute of play in his filler role. Knocking down a three and slamming down a dunk through three Horned Frog defenders and a goaltending call.
I'm severely concerned about the lack of production from Kostic and Mrus. In minimal playing time, neither provided a scoring threat, and with poor results on the defensive end, that pair hasn't proved capable of offsetting their defensive shortcomings. The Cougars will need every possible ounce of production in the postseason and against the toughest foes in the league, and they are the top candidates to bump up their role.
BYU advances to 16-1 with this narrow 76-70 victory, and picks back up on the road against the 15th-ranked Red Raiders of Texas Tech.