As BYU prepares to face Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, Cougar fans simply don't know what to expect. Even after losing Richie Saunders for the season, this iteration of the Cougars has two Top 10 wins against then-No. 6 Iowa State and No. 10 Texas Tech. When playing at its best, this team can make some noise in the Big 12 tourney.
But at its worst, this team could lose by double-digits to Kansas State in the opening round.
Here are the five keys for the Cougs to make a run in the Big 12 tournament.
Kevin Young has his team ready to start fast
The Cougars biggest weakness throughout the entire season -- even before Richie Saunders went down -- has been slow starts. In far too many games this year BYU has fallen behind by double digits in the first half, only to then come out and look like a completely different team in the second half.
Against UConn they trailed by 11 at halftime and lost by two. They fell behind by 10 to Dayton in the first half only to come back and win. Incredibly, the Cougs were losing to Clemson 43-22 at the half only to go on to win by three after a furious second half comeback. BYU trailed Arizona by 13 at the half and went on to lose by three. And so on, and so forth.
If Kevin Young can get his team's focus, effort, and execution to be on point for the first 20 minutes of the game, the "second half Cougs" can beat just about anybody in the Big 12.
AJ Dybantsa channels his inner Michael Jordan
One of the beautiful things about basketball is that one elite player can take over a game and almost singlehandedly will his team to a win. Michael Jordan did it back in his heyday with the Chicago Bulls, and what he did was so much more than scoring. Yes, he was a dominant scorer, but he also elevated his team, played relentless defense, and was clutch when it mattered.
AJ Dybantsa can do the same for the BYU Cougars. There's a reason Dybantsa is leading the nation in scoring and appearing on short lists for All-American and the National Player of the Year. Though he's still just a teenager, he's also a proven winner. If AJ Dybantsa channels his inner Michael Jordan, he can elevate the Cougars to some big wins.
Keba Keita plays like a man possessed
Last year Keba Keita transferred from Utah to BYU and made an immediate impact on a team that went to the Sweet 16. Now playing his senior season of college hoops, BYU fans were optimistic that Keita could take his game to the next level as an opportunistic scorer, strong rebounder, and elite shot blocker. But his play this season has been up-and-down, due in part to a hand injury, but even then coach Kevin Young was pretty blunt in February when he said, "(Keita) definitely needs to pick it up for sure."
Over the past week, Keita has "picked it up." The 6-foot-8 center has looked healthier, more active, and more engaged in recent games. In BYU's win last week against Texas Tech he had his first double-digit rebounding game (11) since January 14th. If Keba Keita can produce somewhere close to a double-double level with a couple of blocks per game in the Big 12 tournament, BYU could make a run.
Kennard Davis Jr. and Alexsej Kostic hit 40% of their 3-pointers
If you care enough about BYU basketball to still be reading this, you already know BYU needs to find reliable scorers beyond AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright III
If Kennard Davis Jr. and Alexsej Kostic can both hit 40% of their 3-pointers -- think of them going a combined 6-of-15 from deep every game -- BYU is a different team. If both of these guys can consistently knock down the open 3-point looks that Dybantsa and Wright create for them, BYU can be dangerous in the postseason.
Khadim Mboup plays 20-plus impactful minutes
Redshirt freshman big man Khadim Mboup is one of the biggest revelations for the Cougars this year. Originally viewed as something of a long-term development project, he has forced his way on to the floor with his excellent rebounding and versatile defense.
In BYU's recent win against Texas Tech, the 6-foot-9 Mboup played 26 minutes with four efficient points and six rebounds. But what' doesn't show up in the box score is how effective he was in man defense, even locking down Tech's outstanding guards on the perimeter when needed. Kevin Young will smartly deploy Mboup to either crash the boards against bigger teams or add length and perimeter defense against teams that hoist a ton of threes. If Mboup can replicate the impact he had against Texas Tech throughout BYU's postseason, the Cougs will be a handful.