The Marriott Center got its first taste of BYU’s top 10 basketball show Saturday night.
After opening the season earlier this week in Las Vegas, the No. 8-ranked Cougars returned home to earn a dominant 98-53 win over Holy Cross.
3 takeaways
BYU’s offense was outstanding. The Cougars came just two points away from crossing the century mark for the second time under Kevin Young, posting 58 points in the first half and 40 in the second.
Five different BYU players — Richie Saunders, AJ Dybantsa, Rob Wright, Kennard Davis and Dawson Baker — scored in double figures, with Saunders’ 20 points leading the way.
The Cougars shot 61.9% as a team, including a 84.2% mark from 2-point range. BYU only needed seven made 3-pointers to get its 98 points, while only turning the ball over six times and dishing out 20 total assists.
The Cougars were excellent defensively. Last season, Holy Cross ranked No. 10 nationally in team 3-point shooting with a 38.7% clip.
Against BYU, the Crusaders went 3 of 22 (13.6%) from deep.
The Cougars held Holy Cross to 35% total shooting and forced 15 turnovers. Richie Saunders swiped four steals, Keba Keita added another three and Xavion Staton had two late blocks.
This isn’t your father’s BYU team. Gone are the days of the Cougars needing to attempt 30-40 3-pointers per game and be rabidly aggressive in transition.
As expected, this is probably the most athletic BYU team of all time.
The Cougars are going to play a lot of isolation. Their length will keep them active and pesky defensively. Players such as Dybantsa, Wright and others are exceptional at getting downhill and attacking the rim.
BYU had 10 dunks on Saturday. When was the last time the Cougars had 10 dunks in a single game?
This is truly a new era of BYU basketball, and the results will not only be impressive, but incredibly fun to watch as well, if Saturday is any indication.