M
mizzoucougBYU (8-3, 2-2 away)
VS
Fruits (8-1, 8-0 home)
on Pac-12 channel aka you don't get it.
9:00 CT
takes on
@
Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City
Game Preview
The Keys to Watch
When Utah has the ball: Look for the Utes to push the ball, but settle on good shots. Utah leads the nation in field goal percentage at 55 percent and have only scored less thank 70 once. They get most of their scoring from Jordan Loveridge who is averaging over 17 points a game and is pulling down almost 10 rebounds. Delon Wright is a good scoring supplement as he is averaging 16 points and six rebounds per game. Add in Wright's six assists per game and you have a player that wants the ball in his hands. Loveridge may average more points per game, but Wright can be deadly if given room, he is shooting 72 percent from the field and 36 percent from the three point line. Look for the Cougars to play tight on these two players and make their teammates step up. The Cougars need to force tough shots so they Utes can not rely on their high field goal percentage. The Cougars will also need to create turnovers and get their hands in the lane since as the Utes protect the ball with only 10 turnovers per game. Look for BYU to crash the boards and bring down the rebounds. BYU is 9th in the country in rebounds, averaging almost 44 a game and Utah is 95th at 38 per game.
When BYU has the ball: Look for BYU to test a Ute defense that has only allowed one opponent to score 70 points. BYU has only scored less than 80 once this year and looks to keep that streak intact. Look for Eric Mika to make his presence known early. The Utes have two players that can match up with him in size, but both play less than 15 minutes per game. Look for Loveridge to use his athleticism to minimize the damage by the Cougars inside presence and try to steal a few rebounds that may swing the momentum the Utes way. Look for Haws and Carlino to continue to shoot the ball and keep the defense from spending to much time on Mika. BYU should continue to run the ball up and down the court and make the game match the Cougars pace. If the BYU defense can limit the easy shots, rebounds turning into fast breaks could be the difference in the game for the Cougars.