Kevin Young sends sharp message to his BYU basketball team, doubters

BYU basketball has won just four games in their previous twelve attempts.

Dropping against Arizona (twice), Texas Tech, Houston, and Kansas are nothing to be ashamed of; let me be clear. The top half of the Big 12 Conference is incredibly talented, well-coached, physical, and capable of making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. BYU basketball, despite boasting the potential number-one pick, AJ Dybantsa, and an incredibly talented point guard in Rob Wright III, is bleeding in the games that they should win since the loss of Richie Saunders.

Consecutive wins over Baylor and Colorado had the BYU faithful expectant and hopeful that this team was not a lost cause, and that there was yet hope for success in the most highly anticipated season in program history. Then the Cougars knocked off top-10 Iowa State in Provo without Saunders, sparking a wildfire of optimism, heating the long-cooled-off expectations of this year's team.

But the Cougars fell at home to UCF in humiliating fashion, falling behind by over 30 points immediately following that crucial win over the Cyclones.

A road loss to West Virginia confirmed the national sentiment on this team: the heart was gone, and everyone could feel it.

Head coach Kevin Young was not oblivious to his team's failures, acknowledging that even without Saunders (and a host of other critical injuries), this squad simply isn't executing or performing to an acceptable level. Effort is non-existent on the defensive end, and whether that meant Mountaineer guards dashed into the hen house unapposed, or collected countless offensive rebounds, BYU was sleepwalking in Morgantown, hanging their heads and moping as the game clock continued to count.

"That's why we lost." Young shared with the media post-game. "They had 18 offensive rebounds. [...] Every time we had them on the ropes, it felt like they got an offensive rebound."

"I'm upset," the Cougars' head coach punctuated. "Obviously, I'm disappointed."

But it wasn't all doom and gloom for Young, despite the nightmare the Cougars can't seem to wake from. Bringing to mind a miraculous Big East and NCAA Tournament run from the UConn Huskies several years ago, BYU basketball is not dead in the water, even as they tread water near the .500 mark in conference play. With top-end talent to compete with anybody, and a bought-in supporting cast, BYU hoops should strike fear into their first-round opponent. Suddenly, however, we're left doubting if this team can advance past the first round, let alone the first weekend of March Madness.

"That is my message to the guys. [...] What they want is still ahead of them. We have some work to do."

It's clear that a fully focused and inspired BYU basketball team can accomplish nearly anything, even as their bench shallows out. But was the peak of toppling Iowa State a fluke, or an indication of this team's potential in the postseason? Time will tell, but hope is low.