Road games are the worst.
Another away game, another loss for BYU. Kansas State took down Mark Pope's squad 84-74 on Saturday. The Cougars have lost their third straight road game by double digits, and haven't claimed a road win since February 3rd against West Virginia. BYU falls to 2-6 on the road with this most recent loss, and continues their pattern of winning at home while losing on the road.
BYU has been Jekyll and Hyde depending on the location of their games. When they're at home with the ROC tormenting the opposition, BYU is at the peak of their powers. Unfortunately, BYU's powers are greatly diminished when away from home.
K-State's Arthur Kaluma went off against BYU, scoring 28 points on 8/11 shooting. Kaluma also shot 12 free throws and hit 10 in the contest, mirroring Kansas State's 31 free throws compared to BYU's 16. Kansas State was on fire in this game, hitting 56% from the field and a scorching 46% from 3. BYU was an ice-cold 40% from the field and an awful 20% from long range.
Poor shooting has plagued the Cougars in road games. The three-pointers aren't falling in games when the Cougars need them the most, and this hopefully means that the Cougars are simply cursed and not victims of the yips or anything like that. In all seriousness, though, I am concerned about BYU's postseason hopes if they can't be a top-25 team outside of the Marriott Center.
The Cougars have to figure out a way to win on the road. With two road matchups against top-10 teams left on the schedule, I'm a little anxious about BYU's remaining schedule. They don't need to win those matchups, but they will need to compete.
BYU's next game will be in Lawrence against the Kansas Jayhawks on Tuesday, February 27th. Kansas doesn't often lose games in their building, and BYU has struggled to find steady production on the road recently. Expect a tough matchup for the Cougars.