Good Ol' Letdown Games

Might want to start thinking about betting against this iteration of the roundball Cougars after notable wins:



2016:

Beat then #25 Gonzaga on the road, next game lose to Portland

Beat then #25 Saint Marys, next game lose to Pacific



2015:

Beat then #3 Gonzaga, next game squeak by Santa Clara by 2 points

this is the most bewildering BYU basketball team I have seen during the Dave Rose era. they just don't seem to be able to be consistent. It is driving me out of my mind and just about out of wanting to watch this team play. Maybe it is because there are so many young players but we are at home for crying out loud and the young guys should feel comfortable there but instead we lose to a team that has no right even being on the same floor as BYU let alone at home.

I have been using the DVR to record every game as of late and start watching about an hour after tip-off. If things are going south, I just fast forward until it either gets good, or the game is over. This has really made it much easier for me to watch this schizo of a team. I quit getting upset about their lack of consistency a long time ago. I hope the team wins every time that they play, but I am over being upset by games like today. I believe the team will be better next year, and will accept whatever plays out the rest of this year.

Wolverine wrote:
I have been using the DVR to record every game as of late and start watching about an hour after tip-off. If things are going south, I just fast forward until it either gets good, or the game is over. This has really made it much easier for me to watch this schizo of a team. I quit getting upset about their lack of consistency a long time ago. I hope the team wins every time that they play, but I am over being upset by games like today. I believe the team will be better next year, and will accept whatever plays out the rest of this year.

I agree, they should be better next year but IMO they are going to have to start buying in to team ball. It just seems like too many guys try to do it by themselves when things don't go exactly as planned.

frdbtr wrote:

I agree, they should be better next year but IMO they are going to have to start buying in to team ball. It just seems like too many guys try to do it by themselves when things don't go exactly as planned.

This might have been the problem in previous games, but it didn't seem to be the main issue yesterday. KC would have had 20 assists if people would hit their shots when he got the ball to them. There were a lot of other passes that got fumbled away. The team seemed completely unfocused.

I have never been more disinterested in a BYU basketball season then this year. Rose has got a lot of work to do over the off season.



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Dropped passes, missed free throws when they counted, lethargic effort. What a game. Even the crowd had a hard time figuring out how to breath some life into the team. Emery really was off, and other than free throws Fisher was off too.

I've got the player ratings for the Pacific game if anyone's interested...but it seems like a lot have tuned the season out.



So, now we just wait for next season? Who leads the team next season? Rose has A LOT of work to do over the off season. If we don't make the tournament next season then Rose HAS to be on the hot seat.

Next season, next season. The problem is we keep losing good players and replacing them with better players, but they're too young to be consistent, and they never seem to develop as they get older.



Oh and if you think it's OK that BYU can't win the bottom dwellers of the WCC until the team is made up of only 4 and 5 star players, that's a serious problem.

hawkwing wrote:
Next season, next season. The problem is we keep losing good players and replacing them with better players, but they're too young to be consistent, and they never seem to develop as they get older.



Oh and if you think it's OK that BYU can't win the bottom dwellers of the WCC until the team is made up of only 4 and 5 star players, that's a serious problem.

I am getting older, and I'm not sure my memory functions like it once did, but it seems to me that BYU rarely lost games to the bottom half of the MWC when they were in the conference. I just don't recall "bad" losses to teams like Wyoming, Colorado State, Air Force, etc. I'm not saying BYU never lost to those teams, but BYU never seemed to lose to those teams when they were mediocre to bad. I am having a hard time understanding and figuring out a reason for losing 2-3 times a year to teams that are in the bottom half of the WCC. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. Maybe it is just as simple as the bottom feeder WCC teams don't know their role in this relationship just yet ;)

You're right, BYU didn't routinely lose to the bottom of the MWC in my recollection either. But that has not held true in the WCC.

696699381244821505

byufan4ever wrote:
I've got the player ratings for the Pacific game if anyone's interested...but it seems like a lot have tuned the season out.



So, now we just wait for next season? Who leads the team next season? Rose has A LOT of work to do over the off season. If we don't make the tournament next season then Rose HAS to be on the hot seat.

I'd like to see and really appreciate you doing this! Did anyone have a good game?



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Pacific game:


Pacific (2).PNG

Season summary:


BYU Summary 2016-02-08.PNG

Davis going 8/11 from the field notwithstanding, BYU still can't afford to have its perimeter players shooting 12/47 (25%). The question is why would every single outside shooter have a horrid day at the same time? Just one of those things? Was everyone just tired or is it some weird mental thing? Does this kind of thing just happen to everyone sometimes, but teams with more offensive strength inside adjust by going inside more? To some extent we did that with Davis. The problem is, he's the only inside guy we have who can score. I think with Mika, Dastrup, Davis and Childs next year, BYU would be in better position to play through cold shooting nights from the perimeter players.

BlueK wrote:
Davis going 8/11 from the field notwithstanding, BYU still can't afford to have its perimeter players shooting 12/47 (25%). The question is why would every single outside shooter have a horrid day at the same time? Just one of those things? Was everyone just tired or is it some weird mental thing? Does this kind of thing just happen to everyone sometimes, but teams with more offensive strength inside adjust by going inside more? To some extent we did that with Davis. The problem is, he's the only inside guy we have who can score. I think with Mika, Dastrup, Davis and Childs next year, BYU would be in better position to play through cold shooting nights from the perimeter players.

When Austin and Corbin are in it is 3 on 5 on offense...

BoiseBYU wrote:

Davis going 8/11 from the field notwithstanding, BYU still can't afford to have its perimeter players shooting 12/47 (25%). The question is why would every single outside shooter have a horrid day at the same time? Just one of those things? Was everyone just tired or is it some weird mental thing? Does this kind of thing just happen to everyone sometimes, but teams with more offensive strength inside adjust by going inside more? To some extent we did that with Davis. The problem is, he's the only inside guy we have who can score. I think with Mika, Dastrup, Davis and Childs next year, BYU would be in better position to play through cold shooting nights from the perimeter players.

When Austin and Corbin are in it is 3 on 5 on offense...

Yeah, but that lineup was part of what worked in beating St. Mary's. This season is full of those kind of contradictions.



The other thing I'd add to that about this particular game is that every player on the team except Davis was shooting horribly, so the ratio of perimeter scorers vs. big men who play defense but don't score is kind of moot when every scorer on the team is missing almost every shot.

Wolverine wrote:

Next season, next season. The problem is we keep losing good players and replacing them with better players, but they're too young to be consistent, and they never seem to develop as they get older.



Oh and if you think it's OK that BYU can't win the bottom dwellers of the WCC until the team is made up of only 4 and 5 star players, that's a serious problem.

I am getting older, and I'm not sure my memory functions like it once did, but it seems to me that BYU rarely lost games to the bottom half of the MWC when they were in the conference. I just don't recall "bad" losses to teams like Wyoming, Colorado State, Air Force, etc. I'm not saying BYU never lost to those teams, but BYU never seemed to lose to those teams when they were mediocre to bad. I am having a hard time understanding and figuring out a reason for losing 2-3 times a year to teams that are in the bottom half of the WCC. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. Maybe it is just as simple as the bottom feeder WCC teams don't know their role in this relationship just yet ;)

Recruiting took a serious dive when we went to the WCC. Independence was "great" for football, but for basketball we missed out on a bunch of high impact guys that could contribute right away because they didn't want to play in the wcc. Rose is just now coming out of that the last couple years with very solid recruiting classes. Throw in that our good assistants get promoted to head coach elsewhere, and it has been rough. Also, we have started a small forward at point guard the last 3 years, driving off all of our natural point guard talent.



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IMO, it's mental.



In the MWC there were several teams each year that challenged for the championship - San Diego, BYU, New Mexico, UNLV, and Utah (before Boylen). You couldn't afford a loss. Even a game against AF had significant meaning.



In the WCC it's basically just Gonzaga. BYU is a distant second and SMC is right behind us. After Gonzaga, BYU, and SMC it's a free for all of horrible teams. With Gonzaga being such a big dog in the conference, the season is basically done before it starts. Games have less meaning, so BYU mails it in on a few games. As long as the finish second and don't drop too many games, they'll get an at-large bid (not this year). Essentially, there is little to fight or prove. We play down.



Rose needs to figure out how to light a fire in the players' bellies. Few says he struggles with this at Gonzaga.



I doubt we switch conferences soon. Recruits are what they are.



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Brayden Green wrote:

hawkwing wrote:
Next season, next season. The problem is we keep losing good players and replacing them with better players, but they're too young to be consistent, and they never seem to develop as they get older.



Oh and if you think it's OK that BYU can't win the bottom dwellers of the WCC until the team is made up of only 4 and 5 star players, that's a serious problem.

I am getting older, and I'm not sure my memory functions like it once did, but it seems to me that BYU rarely lost games to the bottom half of the MWC when they were in the conference. I just don't recall "bad" losses to teams like Wyoming, Colorado State, Air Force, etc. I'm not saying BYU never lost to those teams, but BYU never seemed to lose to those teams when they were mediocre to bad. I am having a hard time understanding and figuring out a reason for losing 2-3 times a year to teams that are in the bottom half of the WCC. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. Maybe it is just as simple as the bottom feeder WCC teams don't know their role in this relationship just yet ;)

Recruiting took a serious dive when we went to the WCC. Independence was "great" for football, but for basketball we missed out on a bunch of high impact guys that could contribute right away because they didn't want to play in the wcc. Rose is just now coming out of that the last couple years with very solid recruiting classes. Throw in that our good assistants get promoted to head coach elsewhere, and it has been rough. Also, we have started a small forward at point guard the last 3 years, driving off all of our natural point guard talent.



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The recruiting dip happened before we got to the WCC. 2012 was our first year in the WCC. In 2013 we had the #14 rated recruiting class (Mika and Emery), followed by a top 20s class in 2014 (TJ Haws and Dasptrup). In 2015 we only had one signee (Seljaas, who was a 4* on one service, 3* on the others). Our 2016 class is ranked #28, I believe (Baxter, Harding, Childs) So, yes, there was definitely a problem with recruiting, but it happened in 2011 and 2012. It's been fixed, if you believe recruiting stars. The problem is those players have only been here one year and gone on a mission (Mika) or playing through their freshman ups and downs and mission legs (Emery), or they haven't played at all yet. I also think Elijah Bryant will be a great addition next year at the point.