Two words. Elijah Bryant. The guy came here with all the hype in the world, and after 5 games of Bryant playing some of the most selfish basketball I have ever seen in my life (churchball included) he is now likely a permanent fixture on the bench.
Rose gets it.
Why didn't Rose bench LJ Rose earlier, is what I wonder? When they went to a zone a big part of the reason that the cougars had trouble scoring is because the Trojans clearly left Rose unguarded and doubled Mika and Emery. Rose had 3 or 4 times a possession where the ball would come to him at the top of the key and there wouldn't be anyone within 6 feet of him. Rose just sat there with the ball until the defense adjusted right back to him. It was weirdest thing to watch. Even Matt Montague would take a wide open 16 foot jumper or 3. Rose did the right thing benching him, but it was too late. You'll notice when BYU went on the scoring streaks, it was with Haws or Guinn (or Beo) at point and Emery at the 2. Gotta shoot that open J. You just have to.
Why doesn't he bench Emery? Because he likes it when his guards score more than 7 or 8 points a night, which is not something anyone besides Emery or Haws are capable of doing on a nightly basis. Also, Emery is the single best defender we have on the arc.