Gonzaga

It's go time tonight. First time BYU has made it to the WCC finals. First time in a long time that it isn't Gonzaga vs SMC.



Couple of things we'll need to watch out for:



1) Stockton. He's been playing the best ball of his career the last few games. Really taking it off the dribble and making things happen. Will need to clamp down on him.

2) Pangos has been a no-show so far. I take that to mean he's due.

3) Dower is a beast and I don't think we really have an answer for him. He also has been playing well.



If we can shut Stockton and Pangos down, we have a shot. Dower benefits most from Stockton and Pangos. Keep the pressure on those two and don't let them penetrate and we should be good to go.



Haws is going to need to shoot well. More importantly, if Haws isn't shooting well he's going to need to recognize that. Sometimes he forces things and gets us into trouble. He'll still command doubles so if he can make a pass or two to keep the defense honest than that will go a long ways.



Austin and Mika need to score. They need to be a threat. USF didn't even bother guarding Austin. They used the extra man to pressure the ball. He's got to chip in.



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Haws will be Haws, he'll quietly get his 20 something points, and KC will be KC getting stats in every possible category, but the two alone won't be enough to overcome the Zags, we'll need that 3rd guy.



Key for me is Carlino. If he decides to show up to the WCC tournament, we win going away. If he continues to be a no-show, we lose by a healthy margin. Carlino can play against anyone in this league, but he can also disappear.

Good point on MC.



I thought he showed up yesterday, though. While he didn't go off for 20 points he had a series there that kept us in the game. Walters hates MC because MC always dominates against USF. So the moment MC started scoring Walters threw as much pressure as he could at MC.



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BYU will win tonight because I think they know they have to in order to get into the big dance - Gonzaga is already in by virtue of their record, winning the WCC conference in the regular season and their name. Plus, the Zags haven't been playing well as of late - it took a buzzer beater by Stockton to beat Santa Clara in the opener and their offense hasn't been as potent as in years' past. St. Mary's took a step backwards this year with several key losses, mainly Valavedova and so the Zags blowout of them yesterday is not nearly as impressive. Everyone will be assuming BYU will lose because they played the later game, then went into OT to beat USF and now have to beat the top seeded team being more tired. But I think the Cougs are playing more hungry right now and will be more determined tonight, which will be the difference maker. David Stockton also usually just has average games against the Cougs... he won't get 21 tonight and Haws will put the team on his back. My two cents anyway.



75-70 Cougs.

LOL about Stockton. He's not a problem. The kid has made some plays, but Winder and MC will be in front of him all night. Dower and Bell are my concern.

Wolfman wrote:
BYU will win tonight because I think they know they have to in order to get into the big dance - Gonzaga is already in by virtue of their record, winning the WCC conference in the regular season and their name. Plus, the Zags haven't been playing well as of late - it took a buzzer beater by Stockton to beat Santa Clara in the opener and their offense hasn't been as potent as in years' past. Everyone will be assuming BYU will lose because they played the later game, then went into OT to beat USF and will be more tired. But I think the Cougs are playing more hungry right now and will be more determined tonight, which will be the difference maker. David Stockton also usually just has average games against the Cougs... he won't get 21 tonight and Haws will put the team on his back. My two cents anyway.

I don't think that the guys "know" that they "HAVE" to win to get in the tournament...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knabnod76u8



But, that doesn't make them any less hungry to win. I think that we start fast, and have a significant lead going into half time, but run out of gas and lose by 7 or so. FWIW I hope that I'm wrong because I want my double double to be free.

They're both in the tourney now. Can Rose draw up a couple plays to give Austin layups since they are not gurading him. How about that play that gets Sharp open? A back screen. It should be open for him.

Austin needs to be Mika's backup, not starting alongside him. Austin is a nervous wreck on offense, and it is hurting the team. You can't afford to give major minutes to a guy that kind of rebounds and kind of defends and is an absolute zero on the offensive side of the ball.



PG Carlino

SG Winder (or Halford, whichever is hotter)

SF Haws

PF KColl

C Mika



This should be the meat of the lineup, playing man defense and forgetting the SUPERFAIL zone. When BYU is creating a lead and maintaining it, it is because these guys are on the court. Rose needs to realize this and do it or we lose to the Zags, and are a first round exit inthe tourney, if we even make it in. (I think as long as we don't lose by 15 we make it in, but we might lose by more than that judging how un-coordinated the team has been looking with these stupid lineups.)

mizzoucoug wrote:
LOL about Stockton. He's not a problem. The kid has made some plays, but Winder and MC will be in front of him all night. Dower and Bell are my concern.

MC and Winder should have no problem containing Stockton. That said, dropping 21 against SMC qualifies more than "some plays."



Pangos, on the other hand, has been pretty quiet, scoring well below his average. Against SMC, Pangos only took 4 shots.



Dower and Bell are big concerns. But they can't shoulder it all by themselves.

BYU's advantage in this game is the same as we have in almost every game. Most teams don't have two big wings who can play. So either Haws has a small guard on him or KC does. Both do work against these mismatches. Against Gonzaga I expect the matchup to start this way:



Winder-Pangos

KC - Stockton

Haws - Bell

Austin- Dower

Worthington/Mika-K(whatever I can't spell his name)



Our entire guard line has a size/strength advantage. Which is why I expect Gonzaga to go to a zone pretty quickly.



As always our biggest concern is foul trouble for our bigs.



Another magical night at the free throw line wouldn't hurt either.

Last game vs BYU (Winder's 2nd start after returning to the lineup) Stockton was 0-3, scored 2 points (FTs) had 1 rebound 2 assists and 6 turnovers. He only had two fouls but only played 22 minutes. He clearly struggled against Winder.



Winder played 26 minutes and got to the FT line 10 times.

Carlino has a big game tonight. He didnt play ALOT of firt half last night. I think he finds his shot and carries the Cougs.

Thank you for working on your J, Mika. But can anyone stop Dower? Geez.

BYU still can't shoot a lick. This is amazing. 2 nights in a row everyone is cold.

Well this game is already over so no worries. BYU just cannot shoot as the announcer said. It's a miracle they score over 70 so many times with the way these guys stroke.

BYU has no heart. This is another embarrassing performance. But this time they're not walking away with a weak OT win.

I'm ashamed of this program. Rose has never won a conf. tourney and this is why. No mental toughness at all. The whole team has folded and it's obvious.

WTF where is the D? Just pathetic. Forfeit Rose.

I can't watch this. BYU has no balls and no heart. This is not a legit tourney team. They haven't done a single thing right.

Another missed front end of a 1 and 1. Honestly Rose, just forfeit the game. Nobody wants to be here and it is amazingly obvious.