BYU scratches that 17 year itch
Well it took two overtime periods to get the job done, but the Cougars of BYU pulled off a victory over Florida today in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The last time BYU won a tourney game was in 1993. Well done Cougs!
BYU plays their next game Saturday. Let’s hope they play even better with that monkey off of their backs now. They will probably need it.
Has someone checked on John C.?
Their matchup with (probably) K St. is intriguing. K St. is much more physical than Florida, which could be a problem unless the refs are calling it tight, then BYU might live on the line. Should be a good game.
One other thing, if Fredette doesn’t go pro, and he might go if he has a big game again, than BYU will have a 3-headed monster in Fredette, Emery, and Lloyd Jr. next year. That could be the best backcourt in the country.
Comment by Tim J — March 18, 2010 @ 2:27 pm
BYU almost blew it and then came back. I am impressed. They could beat Kstate.
I changed my bracket to a BYU victory yesterday. Good call.
Comment by bbell — March 18, 2010 @ 2:35 pm
Good call indeed bbell.
Comment by Geoff J — March 18, 2010 @ 2:43 pm
That was a very good game. I’m disappointed in the result (but not greatly). Both teams had let downs and both teams came back. I don’t think you could have wished for a better effort from either team. It was a really, really good game.
Of course, if Boynton hadn’t fouled out, we would have probably won
I am wondering with all the second chance shots that Florida got, do you think BYU is going to be able to overcome a more physical KState team? BYU seemed to be practically opening paths for Florida to get at the boards.
Comment by John C. — March 18, 2010 @ 2:51 pm
I’ve never had a class conflict with BYU’s opening round game for the last few years, and consequently watched the Cougs get beat every single year. Naturally, class conflicted with today’s double-OT thriller that they won. Sigh.
Comment by Christopher — March 18, 2010 @ 3:13 pm
Yeah John — those offensive rebounds were real trouble for BYU. I think FL got 10 more offensive boards than BYU.
Comment by Geoff J — March 18, 2010 @ 3:40 pm
This was the first game I’ve been able to watch this year. (It’s hard to find a way to watch out here in the UK.) Here are a few thoughts on what I saw:
-I was very impressed with Jimmer. Great shot, excellent drives, and can finish with either hand. He has an impressive crossover, but it can become a little to predictable at times (as seen when Boynton almost picked his pocket in the closing minutes). Also, he got a little out of control at times, but he made big shots when it counted. A great player.
-I was not impressed with BYU’s offensive sets. They ran the same play most of the time (Loyd to Fredette on the high wing, followed by pick and roll at the top of the key), but many times it seemed to be a basic spread offense and a lot of one-on-one. I guess that works when you have the shooters, but I’d like to see more set plays.
-Like others here, I was dismayed at Florida’s offensive rebounding. I haven’t seen other games to compare, but our big men did not seem to play strong in there. I hope that is just an ‘off’ game rather than a constant flaw, which would obviously be crucial against K-State next week.
-Though Jimmer was the MVP of the game, the Cougs wouldn’t have won without Loyd. That guy played with heart, and he saved them with two incredible plays down the stretch (the long three and the spin move).
It was a great game. Hope they carry it forward on saturday.
Comment by Ben — March 18, 2010 @ 4:08 pm
Florida took a lot of 3′s (32) which will lead to a lot of long rebounds which will typically favor offensive rebounding. That’s not to say BYU didn’t get outmuscled several time on the glass, they did, but I don’t think it was as bad as it seems. There were a couple of times too that 2 or 3 BYU players went after the same rebound only to have it tipped into a Florida player’s hands.
Next game, BYU needs to send everyone to the defensive glass which will limit their fast-breaking, but it must be done.
I think you’d see more set plays out of BYU if they had a reliable post presence. It’s easy to run an legit offense when you can throw it down low and play off of double teams. That being said, BYU is the #2 scoring team in the nation so offense isn’t exactly the problem.
Comment by Tim J — March 18, 2010 @ 4:33 pm
What a game! Congrats to the Cougs on a nice win.
I am looking forward to a likely match-up with K-state
Now that I’ve congratulated the Cougars I’m going to go and cry with the rest of the Gator Nation.
Comment by L-d Sus — March 18, 2010 @ 4:43 pm
All great points, Tim. Again, my remarks were mostly reflections from just watching the game, so they should be taken with a grain of salt.
I’m glad to hear their offense usually clicks quite well. My only fear is in end-of-game situations like today, where it seemed baskets were a little hard to come by in the spread. But, you definitely have more experience following the Cougs this year, so I’ll bow to your opinion.
Comment by Ben — March 18, 2010 @ 4:45 pm
I like BYU’s bench. Loyd was impressive, natch, but throughout the year folks have come off the bench when Jimmer gets cold and have usually kept the game close. That is the big difference between this and other teams. BYU finally has some depth.
That said, they need to play better defense or they won’t make it to the sweet 16.
Comment by John C. — March 18, 2010 @ 4:45 pm
So K St. destroyed N. Texas as expected. Of note, they offensively rebounded half of their own missed shots. That’s incredible and very troubling for BYU’s prospects on Saturday. It should be noted that they sent N. Texas to the line 31 times which bodes well for the Cougs. If BYU can get 25 points on FT’s, I like their chances. Should be a terrific game.
Comment by Tim J — March 18, 2010 @ 4:49 pm
I was thinking they should have featured Loyd more in the stretches where Fredette was struggling. Loyd was very quiet for a lot of the second half.
This was only the second game I’ve been able to watch. I’m just wondering, does Fredette have a mid-range shot? Seems like he’s a little too dedicated to taking it to the rim or jacking up the three. Taking it to the rim as a default isn’t necessarily a bad thing–aggressiveness often pays off with free throw opportunities–but it gets a little predictable. He’d pretty much have it all if he had a good mid-range jumper. He may well have one, I just haven’t seen it.
Comment by Tom — March 18, 2010 @ 5:22 pm
Yep, Jimmer has every shot in the book. The reason you don’t see a lot of mid range shots from him is because opponents try to cover him like a wet blanket so that mostly leaves drives to the rim and 3 pointers available for him. Plus he is the point guard so he is usually the one starting the offense from beyond the arc rather than moving through screens without the ball.
Comment by Geoff J — March 18, 2010 @ 6:45 pm
Well the ride is over for BYU. As most people expected, the favored Wildcats of KSU were just too much for the Cougars tonight.
Well done on a good year BYU.
Let’s hope this relatively early exit in the Big Dance means Jimmer will come back for his senior year. Let’s also hope BYU can land some big men to match the tremendous guards on the team right now.
Comment by Geoff J — March 20, 2010 @ 10:15 pm