Did SMC get better or did BYU get worse?

[BroncoBot]

16 points for the first 32 minutes of the game.

.5 points/minute. that's low. 20 points a game. If your defense could do average that over a season, you'd bring home some serious hardware.

[BlueK]

are you sure it wasn't just Portland missing a lot of open shots? -- TIC, but it's probably fair to apply the same judging standard to someone else's defense as we apply to our own when the other team's offense doesn't look very good.

[Gunk]

Well St. Mary's held Portland to 9 total points in the entire first half last night... so that helps answer the question of whether or not they got better. 9 points. WOW! Good job Gaels.

That's just straight hustle, discipline, and coaching, especially to not get lazy on defense after doing so well. It'd be really easy to mail it in.

[BroncoBot]

...byu has frequently been out coached since showing up to the WCC. we have the talent, but if things aren't going BYU'S WAY on offense, it all too often is a loss in the end. it's why I was down on this team back during the preseason and early season. I'm not arguing BYU has talent, but a bunch of top 100 players don't mean squat if they don't play as a team. and that's hard for any team to assemble with the amount of turnover BYU had the last year.

Childs was baptized less than a year ago. but I don't know if he has mission plans.

Didn't you say between 6 and 9 pre-conference losses? We're into January and still don't have 6 losses total. It has taken a while for the guards to come around, but they're getting there. SMC is a tough team to beat at their place. For that matter, how often do top 20 teams in college basketball lose at home? Essentially never. There is still a lot of season left. I still think they'll do some good things this year. A healthy Bryant seems to be able to really help them based on the last game. We're 12-5 right now. Looking at the schedule, I think we'll be 18-5 by the end of January. If they take it one at a time and focus on the task at hand, I think we win the next 6 going into the Gonzaga game.

well it took byu 5 games into conference play to get that 6th loss. To the Torreros of all teams. BUT USD is a tough place to play I suppose, and BYU can't win em all.

This team has some serious flaws. They should not be losing to USD at home or away. I'm going to chalk it up to growing pains, but every single year since Jimmer/Davies/j. Emery, BYU has had head scratching losses in WCC. I don't think BYU is done losing to the basement of the WCC and this was, for me, the straw that broke the NCAA dancing camel's back with respect to this team.

NIT!

[Gunk]

St. Mary's got torched tonight by Gonzaga, 79 - 56.

We don't beat Gonzaga this year. It's doubtful we beat SMC. That's 3 more losses to the record. With 9 loses, no way we go dancing unless we win with WCC tourney, which will more than likely require beating SMC, Gonzaga, or both.

[snoscythe]

NIT!

...or CBI, the way things are going.

[BroncoBot]

NIT!

...or CBI, the way things are going.

I'll take it.