No one-trick pony: BYU’s efficient firepower has Cougars riding high

Simple firepower.

That’s how BYU earned the No. 4 seed and eight-game win streak heading into the Big 12 tournament this week in Kansas City.

BYU will play either No. 5 seed Iowa State, No. 12 seed Oklahoma State or No. 13 seed Cincinnati on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. MDT on ESPN or ESPN2.

Special Collector's Issue: "1984: The Year BYU was Second to None"

Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football's 1984 National Championship season.

Buy Now

Finding ways to score efficiently.

It appears to be a theme for first-year head coach Kevin Young as his team has settled into roles, schemes and methods, all changeable on the fly. After starting Big 12 play 1-3, the Cougars finished 14-6 in league play, 23-8 overall.

Dynamic scoring.

This was on display in the second half of BYU’s 85-74 win over Utah Saturday night. The Cougars were struggling to score when reserve Dawson Baker came off the bench to score 15 points in 11 minutes of play. He made BYU’s first 3-pointer after the Cougars had gone 0 for 13 from distance.

After scoring 34 points in the first half against the Utes, the Cougars exploded for 51 in the second half. BYU outshot Utah 48% to 35% from the field.

“Our guys showed great toughness and executed when it mattered most,” said head coach Kevin Young.

The Cougars are displaying elite scoring capability during their current win streak. BYU is averaging 83.75 points per game, including a historic 91 against No. 23 Kansas, 96 at No. 19 Arizona and 88 on the home court of No. 10 Iowa State.

During the streak, Young’s team has displayed the ability to shift gears and make adjustments, making buckets from beyond the arc. When that hasn’t worked, it has shifted to a post-play offense with pick-and-roll action.

Young has a trump card when he inserts guard Dallin Hall with center Fouss Traore, as witnessed in the upset of Iowa State.

When the half-court game is mired down, the Cougars have triggered an effective transition offense. A mainstay has been to attack with penetration, led by Big 12 first-team candidate Richie Saunders, who earned back-to-back player of the week honors during the streak.

“We’ve been playing our best basketball lately, and tonight was about keeping that rolling,” said Baker after Saturday’s win. “Utah’s tough — they always are — but we stuck together and executed down the stretch.”

Young said Baker’s role on the team has been to bring instant offense, and he specifically calls his number when he enters the game to get him going.

Baker accepted the challenge against the Utes. He made three of his five shots from 3-point land, the best effort from that range on the team, and it came in timely fashion in both the first and second halves.

“It felt great to come out and help the team get this win, especially against Utah. Senior Night made it extra special and I just wanted to leave it all out there. Hitting those 3s got us going, and the crowd really lifted us.”

Baker led BYU with 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting and was 4 of 4 from the line. Saunders added 14 points and five rebounds. Keba Keita had 12 points and seven rebounds, five on the offensive end.

Mihailo Boskovic tied a career high with 11 points, including a perfect 4-for-4 effort from the line, while freshman Egor Demin had 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Mawot Mag made all six of his free throws as part of his 9 points.

Young gave the media a glimpse into his staff involvement in games when he credited assistant Chris Burgess for sending BYU into the half on an impressive lead-gaining scoring streak.

Young said, “I thought Chris Burgess did a great job. He’s kind of tasked with helping me with clock management and at the end of the first half that was a master class in terms of what he helped us do out there.”

“It’s hard to prepare for our team. You can’t guard it all, you can’t scout it all. So, I think we have multiple guys who can benefit from that.”

—  BYU coach Kevin Young

Young credited the bench scoring from Baker and Boskovic, explaining that on any given night BYU’s depth has shown multiple players who are capable of leading the team in scoring.

“It’s hard to prepare for our team. You can’t guard it all, you can’t scout it all. So, I think we have multiple guys who can benefit from that.”

Defensively, Young said his team is much different from the one that lost at Utah earlier in the season. He changed assignments and emphasis on post defense. In the eight-game win streak, he’s used different methods of help defense on opposing post players.

While Utah forward Ezra Ausar killed the Cougars in Salt Lake City with 26 points and center Lawson Lovering had 13 that first game, Young put on Lovering Saturday night and he scored just 3 points. BYU adjusted on Ausar with Keita taking the assignment on an adjustment. Ausar scored 10 in the first half and just 2 points in the second half.

Young said BYU’s practice on Friday was one of the most impressive things he’s seen since he’s been coaching. “I’m not saying that as an exaggeration. These guys were dialed in, they were so intense. I feel they are in a headspace to take on the world and as a head coach that’s a good place to be.”

Young said BYU’s emphasis has to be on turnover and rebounding control. “If we do those two things, we can beat anybody in the country.”

1 of 86

2 of 86

3 of 86

4 of 86

5 of 86

6 of 86

7 of 86

8 of 86

9 of 86

10 of 86

11 of 86

12 of 86

13 of 86

14 of 86

15 of 86

16 of 86

17 of 86

18 of 86

19 of 86

20 of 86

21 of 86

22 of 86

23 of 86

24 of 86

25 of 86

26 of 86

27 of 86

28 of 86

29 of 86

30 of 86

31 of 86

32 of 86

33 of 86

34 of 86

35 of 86

36 of 86

37 of 86

38 of 86

39 of 86

40 of 86

41 of 86

42 of 86

43 of 86

44 of 86

45 of 86

46 of 86

47 of 86

48 of 86

49 of 86

50 of 86

51 of 86

52 of 86

53 of 86

54 of 86

55 of 86

56 of 86

57 of 86

58 of 86

59 of 86

60 of 86

61 of 86

62 of 86

63 of 86

64 of 86

65 of 86

66 of 86

67 of 86

68 of 86

69 of 86

70 of 86

71 of 86

72 of 86

73 of 86

74 of 86

75 of 86

76 of 86

77 of 86

78 of 86

79 of 86

80 of 86

81 of 86

82 of 86

83 of 86

84 of 86

85 of 86

86 of 86