No. 6 seed BYU made the short trip to Denver to face a very good No. 11 seed VCU.
It was a tough draw for the Cougars. VCU went 28-6 on the season, won the Atlantic 10 conference title, is known for its relentless defense, and was ranked No. 31 nationally by Ken Pom. The Rams should have probably been seeded higher than No. 11, but such is life.
The Cougars, on the other hand, entered the NCAA Tournament seeking to exercise the demons of recent first round losses as a six-seed (2021, 2024) and not having advanced to the second round since the Jimmer Fredette era.
First Half Recap
It was a shaky start for Kevin Young’s squad as Egor Demin turned the ball over on BYU’s first possession and the Cougars quickly fell behind 5-0.
Keba Keita made his defensive presence felt early with two spectacular volleyball spikes. BYU quickly dug itself out of the hole and the first 17 minutes of the game was a tightly-contested, back-and-forth affair with neither team able to separate itself.
Early on, VCU was getting open looks in the paint on screen-and-roll actions as BYU’s peel-and-switch defense was often a step behind the ball. Kevin Young made a good in-game adjustment by playing more zone and that tactical change immediately slowed VCU’s offense.
BYU’s early offense, surprisingly, came from Egor Demin hitting a couple of 3-pointers and scoring eight quick points. Demin and all of BYU's ballhandlers were subject to a heavy amount of hand checks, bumps, and getting bodied up without fouls being called. You know, college refs and all.
Then late in the first half, the Cougars went on a run.
With 4:31 left in the first half the Cougars led 27-26. BYU’s tenacious defense and solid rebounding allowed VCU to score just two more points before halftime. Offensively, BYU started going to Fousseyni Traore in the post and he repeatedly delivered, either scoring buckets or drawing fouls. Fouss's exceptional post game opened up BYU's entire offense.
BYU closed the half on a 12-2 run for a 39-28 halftime lead and carried all the momentum.
Second Half Recap
The Cougars momentum carried into the second half.
Early on, Richie Saunders hit a 3-pointer then a layup for an and-1. Trevin Knell hit a 3-pointer, then layups followed by Egor Demin, Mawot Mag, and Keba Keita. Just four minutes into the second half and the Cougars suddenly led 54-34.
The partisan BYU crowd in Denver rose to its feet and for a brief moment it sounded like the game was being played in the Marriott Center.
But it wouldn’t be March Madness if the Cougars just pulled away from there.
With 11:33 left in the game BYU had a seemingly comfortable 56-39 lead. VCU then suddenly got hot from long range and quickly connected on three 3-pointers to spearhead an 11-4 run to cut the Cougars lead to 60-50.
But unlike previous seasons, this year the Cougars maintained their composure and went back to what was working. Egor Demin made a nice stepback jumper. Richie Saunders got loose for a layup. Keba Keita blocked another shot. Fouss scored four quick points.
Within minutes BYU was leading 70-55. Despite some late 3-pointers by VCU, the Cougars ultimately closed out the game to a convincing, highly-satisfying 80-71 win.
Shoutouts and awarding a game ball
While Egor Demin’s turnovers remain vexing (he had four in this one, and several other wild passes), he deserves a shoutout for finding his offensive game scoring 15 big points on 6-of-11 shooting.
Mawot Mag also deserves a shoutout for his absolutely stellar perimeter defense. Max Shulga, the reigning Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, was invisible in the first half and Mag’s defense had a lot to do with that.
When it comes to awarding a game ball I’m going to cheat and give it to BYU’s “big guys”.
Keiba Keta is an undersized center at 6-foot-8, but he played like a seven-footer against the Rams. He dominated the paint defensively and controlled the glass to the tune of nine points, nine rebounds, and four monstrous blocks.
Fousseyni Traore’s offensive domination turned the tide of this game. It was Fouss’s ability to bully defenders in the post that facilitated BYU’s 12-2 run before halftime. He finished the game with and efficient 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting while hitting 5-of-6 free throws.
It was an impressive win for the Cougars.
It feels to some degree like the ghosts of NCAA Tournaments past have been exercised with this victory. Based on today's performance, it wouldn't be surprising to see Kevin Young's squad make an even deeper tournament run from here.