Is BYU basketball getting worse?

Take the following information, there's really only 2 conclusions that I can take from it, either the WCC is significantly better conference than the MWC was or BYU is steadily and consistently getting worse.


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Sure feels like it. At least this is the last year Rose can use the age-change for missionaries as an excuse. That's been a tired refrain the last two years when he addresses the Cougar Club.

Can it be both? I think the WCC is a tougher conference. Gonzaga is consistently solid. Plus, the Cougs needs more, better horses in the barn if they want to run in derby and be competitive.

Ddawg wrote:
Can it be both? I think the WCC is a tougher conference. Gonzaga is consistently solid. Plus, the Cougs needs more, better horses in the barn if they want to run in derby and be competitive.

MWC was a tough conference. This year, the MWC may be down a bit but they were usually a 3 bid conference while BYU had its horses hitched to their wagons. I remember that usually the MWC was ranked in the top 7 conferences, this year I believe the WCC is #9.

BroncoBot wrote:

Can it be both? I think the WCC is a tougher conference. Gonzaga is consistently solid. Plus, the Cougs needs more, better horses in the barn if they want to run in derby and be competitive.

MWC was a tough conference. This year, the MWC may be down a bit but they were usually a 3 bid conference while BYU had its horses hitched to their wagons. I remember that usually the MWC was ranked in the top 7 conferences, this year I believe the WCC is #9.

Quoting myself here BUT... Every team has their ups and downs (unless you are kentucky with Capn at the helm). BYU would have most certainly competed for a championship in the WCC in nearly every year previous to the year they joined the WCC. A combination of losing Jimmer/Davies/Emery at around that same year was a lot to overcome. Th problem is, I haven't seen much progress is chasing the gaels and zags.

hawkwing wrote:
Take the following information, there's really only 2 conclusions that I can take from it, either the WCC is significantly better conference than the MWC was or BYU is steadily and consistently getting worse.


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559403815896489985

I think the real question is... how many BYU fans actually care?



Following a loss in football (and it doesn't really matter if it's a great, mediocre or poor team that BYU loses to) this and other forums literally blow up with doom and gloom. BYU has lost 2 in a row to teams you could call inferior and it's crickets around here. Just an interesting observation. I'd actually like to see less whining post-football losses personally.

We sure don't seem to be getting better. We have a hole in the hole. That is either coaching or recruiting which both points the same way. No matter how good your wings and guards are you have to have more than what we have down low. We have had good things but we've either been passed up or we are getting worse. I hope it is just injuries but that isn't the only problem.

Let's not forget the over the next 2 years we got a lot of talent coming off missions.

BYUBALLIN wrote:
Let's not forget the over the next 2 years we got a lot of talent coming off missions.

When don't we say this? What year hasn't this seemed true?

Schmoe wrote:

Let's not forget the over the next 2 years we got a lot of talent coming off missions.

When don't we say this? What year hasn't this seemed true?

This year. We knew that this year we didn't have any tallent coming off of a mission, and that much of our front court depth is at the freshman level. It's been a tough year, but still fun to watch

ABYUFAN wrote:

BYUBALLIN wrote:
Let's not forget the over the next 2 years we got a lot of talent coming off missions.

When don't we say this? What year hasn't this seemed true?

This year. We knew that this year we didn't have any tallent coming off of a mission, and that much of our front court depth is at the freshman level. It's been a tough year, but still fun to watch

But isn't there talent coming back for next year? Wouldn't that put this year within "over the next 2 years"?

Schmoe wrote:

Schmoe wrote:

Let's not forget the over the next 2 years we got a lot of talent coming off missions.

When don't we say this? What year hasn't this seemed true?

This year. We knew that this year we didn't have any tallent coming off of a mission, and that much of our front court depth is at the freshman level. It's been a tough year, but still fun to watch

But isn't there talent coming back for next year? Wouldn't that put this year within "over the next 2 years"?

That's a good point. We did have Collinsworth coming off his mission last year, and so that covers last year and this, and next year we have some talent returning too, so "over the next two years" is going to include a bunch of players. That doesn't change the fact that we didn't get much in the way of talent off of a mission this year.

We're certainly not getting better. Few thoughts:



1) IMO the WCC is a bit underrated. As a whole, the WCC is rising, which is a good thing.

2) BYU was often a bubble team in the MWC. We're still a bubble team. No question BYU peaked during Jimmer's Junior and Senior years. We've dropped back down. If you recall, prior to 2010 and 2011 we often lost 9 games in a season. In 2007 when we won the MWC, our record was 25 - 9 with 3 in-conference losses (two of those against UNLV). We were all really excited about reaching 25 wins and at the time that season was an apex. We were convinced Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted would take us as far as the Sweet 16. We can still do better than 25 - 9 this season.

3) While we have some superb athletes on the team right now (KC, Haws, Winder, Fischer) but they are all guards. We're an extremely one dimensional team. If we had Chris Miles at center we'd be 2nd in the WCC. Unfortunately, no matter how talented our guards are the void created by our bigs is just too big.

4) My biggest gripe with Rose is his lack of down-low scheming. You don't have to have an Araujo or Davies to have an inside game. You can cut, create back doors, etc. down low. We do none of these. But the ball has to go there first.

5) In all of our conference losses we started out slow. Our strength is our guards, so unless we come out of the gates hard and fast we don't win. We have to have opponents playing on their heels. This team does not win coming from behind.

5) Rose has a huge problem with the front court to fix this off season.

I would say there are several issues that have hurt BYU.



1. The way the game is played in the WCC is different than it was in the MWC, and we haven't made the proper adjustments yet. Whether because we're stuck with personnel recruited for the MWC or coaches haven't adjusted, I'm unsure. I actually believe this is a bigger problem on the defensive side than offensive.



2. The mission age change has hurt hoops more than football, and that's unquestionable (although I believe it's an under reported issue in football too). It starts to turn next year.



3. Utah actually caring about instate recruiting for the first time since Majerus was there has been bad for BYU. In Boylen's last year, none of the players on their roster were from Utah. (I actually think this is becoming a problem for BYU's football team...not focusing on in state kids and trying to find out of staters too much).



4. The WCC officials are worse than the MWC. They are so inconsistent. BYU relies on rhythm, and if they don't get into it because the other team is allowed to physically take them out of it, then BYU is hosed.

Schmoe wrote:

Let's not forget the over the next 2 years we got a lot of talent coming off missions.

When don't we say this? What year hasn't this seemed true?

Lone peak kids got some serious talent when they all get together. Espn says it a lot in the next 2-3 years don't be surprised to see BYU in the final four.

Let's be realistic here we all should have know this my be a down year for us. We lost a very talented center to a mission with nobody to replace him. The big r awful this year. It could have been a diff season if ayers and Austin would be healthy. We get killed in the post it's easy pickins down there. Then the 3 not falling we r in trouble.

The BBall team is FB team version 2 of the injury bug. We haven't had a complete team with the absence of Austin and Aytes which was supposed to help shore up the inside game. Note how competitive we were for the games in which Austin was able to compete/play. This year we don't have the depth to step up for the injured players. On he other hand, this year has forced the younger players to play in difficult circumstances which will likely hasten the development process down the road.



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To me you have to look at it in context. In just the last couple years the :utard: up north have gone from a terrible team that was bleeding players to a liget top ten team. Meanwhile we have sunk to a midlevel WCC team.



No matter how you analyze it and justify it...That sucks! :sick: .



I've always thought we should have been searching the world for quality bigs..and since when has Austin become a quality big. The guy couldn't find the hole if he fell into it.



Anyway just the opinion of a life long Cougar fan.



L Hatton

Louisville, KY

KYCoug wrote:
To me you have to look at it in context. In just the last couple years the :utard: up north have gone from a terrible team that was bleeding players to a liget top ten team. Meanwhile we have sunk to a midlevel WCC team.



No matter how you analyze it and justify it...That sucks! :sick: .



I've always thought we should have been searching the world for quality bigs..and since when has Austin become a quality big. The guy couldn't hole if he fell into it.



Anyway just the opinion of a life long Cougar fan.



L Hatton

Louisville, KY

Austin can play def and hit the boards and any points he adds is gravy he does little things aka the BYU Rodman

When Nate Austin is the answer to what a team is missing, your team isn't very good. Above average? Maybe.