BYU Cougars
West Coast Conference (25-8, 12-4)
BYU joined the West Coast Conference this year and fit right in atop the standings with Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga. The Cougars may have been a notch below those two traditional WCC powers, but they did beat Gonzaga and had some decent non-conference wins. Jimmer Fredette is long gone, but Coach Dave Rose still has a very good program no matter what conference they are in.
Big Wins: 12/3 vs Oregon (79-65), 1/25 at Virginia Tech (70-68), 2/2 Gonzaga (83-73)
Bad Losses: 11/11 at Utah State (62-69), 1/19 Loyola Marymount (68-82), 1/28 Saint Mary’s (66-80)
Coach: Dave Rose (7 seasons at BYU)
Why They Can Surprise:
One thing BYU does have is size. At times Coach Rose starts 6-9 Brandon Davies and 6-8 Noah Hartsock in the frontcourt and 6-6 Brock Zylstra and 6-5 Charles Abouo on the wings. That is size that any power conference team would like to have. Davies is the traditional interior scorer and the best rebounder on the team. Hartsock can score in the paint as well, but he is a more versatile power forward who can step outside and knock down the mid-range jumper. With Davies scoring in the paint and Hartsock stretching out the defense, the perimeter players get a lot of open space. Abouo and Zylstra have taken advantage of that space. Abouo is the more dynamic scorer on the wing. He can knock down the long ball and attack the basket. Zylstra is mostly a pure shooter and at his size he can shoot over most opposing defenders.
Why They Can Disappoint:
BYU has quite a few different players who can hit the long ball, but they went through a horrible shooting drought in late January and early February. They have recovered for the most part, but this is still an offense that can sputter at times. Fortunately, the Cougars know how to score in other ways and do such a good job of sharing the ball that they can beat good teams even when they are missing just about everything from beyond the arc. Freshman point guard Matt Carlino is one of those players that cooled off as the season has progressed. The transfer from UCLA was eligible after the first semester and came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. He was knocking down all of his shots and setting up his teammates extremely well. His shooting has since come down to earth, but he could get hot again at the right time. However, he is just a freshman and has not even played the entire season, so his inexperience during the tournament may cause some problems. Anson Winder is another freshman who has been streaky during the 2011-2012 campaign. He is a decent ballhandler and defender and has started beside Carlino at times, but Coach Rose may want to avoid having an all freshmen backcourt as much as possible now that it is tournament time.
Probable Starters:
Matt Carlino, Freshman, Guard, 12.7 ppg, 4.7 apg
Brock Zylstra, Junior, Forward, 8.4 ppg, 1.8 apg, 4.3 rpg
Charles Abouo, Senior, Forward, 11.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg
Noah Hartsock, Senior, Forward, 16.7 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.6 bpg
Brandon Davies, Junior, Forward, 15.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Nate Austin, Freshman, Center, 4.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Craig Cusick, Junior, Guard, 3.0 ppg, 1.9 apg
Stephen Rogers, Junior, Forward, 6.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg
Anson Winder, Freshman, Guard, 4.3 ppg, 1.7 apg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 78.2 (15th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 66.6 (166, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 46.8 (45, 4)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.2 (83, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.6 (114, 4)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.2 (168, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 70.5 (115, 6)
Rebound Margin: 4.3 (51, 3)
Assists Per Game: 17.0 (7, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.2 (139, 3)
Last Five Postseason Appearances:
BYU 2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Wofford
BYU 2011 NCAA Round of 32 win over Gonzaga
BYU 2011 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Florida
BYU 2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over Florida
BYU 2010 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kansas State
BYU 2009 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Texas A&M
BYU 2008 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Texas A&M
BYU 2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Xavier
*all team stats through 3/4
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
