BYU went to Baylor looking for answers.
The Cougars found one in redshirt freshman Khadim Mboup.
Kevin Young's team was at its best during the 27 minutes in which the 6-foot-9 forward was on the floor. While he didn't start the game against Baylor, he finished it as the Cougars won 99-94. And without his defense, 10 rebounds, and overall hustle, BYU might not have come out on top.
Coming out of the Baylor game it's now clear: It's time to start Khadim Mboup.
Why BYU is better with Mboup
Before the win over Baylor, Kevin Young's squad had lost four in a row and five of their last six games. More than a few of those losses followed the same predictable, frustrating script with BYU starting slow in the first 10 minutes of the game, then fighting like crazy to erase early double-digit deficits.
During that stretch many knowledgeable, rational BYU fans were calling for changes to the starting lineup. Kevin Young's traditional starting five of the Big Three consisting of AJ Dybantsa, Richie Saunders, and Robert Wright III paired with wing Kennard Davis Jr. and center Keba Keita hasn't been firing on all cylinders in Big 12 play.
That starting five is good enough to be good, but through 24 games has yet to be great. The Cougars lack a signature win. It's time to make a change and replace Kennard Davis Jr. with Khadim Mboup over BYU's remaining seven regular season games and see what happens.
The potential upside of Mboup's versatile defense and effective rebounding is more valuable than Davis's offensive game at this point.
Kennard Davis Jr. has struggled mightily shooting the ball in his first season in Provo. Coming into the Baylor game, he was averaging just 6.9 points in 28.1 minutes per game. He was shooting a mere 35.7% from the field and 29.5% from the 3-point line on 5.3 attempts per game. Davis ostensibly starts to provide perimeter defense and create spacing for Dybantsa, Saunders, and Wright by acting as a spot-up 3-point shooter. We are far enough into the season to conclude that it just isn't happening.
Replacing Davis with Mboup in the starting lineup means there are two non-scorers on the floor with Khadim and Keba Keita, but the Big Three can carry the offensive load.
Starting Khadim Mboup will significantly improve the Cougars presence in the paint and ability to limit offensive rebounds, which has been something of an Achilles' heel for this team. Letting the Big Three cook offensively while Mboup and Keba Keita patrol the paint and control the glass is appealing. Plus, Khadim is rangy and athletic enough to cover wing players when called upon, so it's not like opposing offenses would be hunting him for mismatches.
The current version of the BYU Cougars is good with the present starting five, but they're far from great.
As presently constructed, this is a team that could likely grind out a first-round win in the NCAA Tournament, but would have their hands full reaching the Sweet 16.
The time has come to make a change to the starting lineup and at least see if this team can go from good to great.
The time has come to start Khadim Mboup.