SB Nation - BYU Cougars

Cougars' remaining non-conference schedule breakdown

sroufe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:03:33 -0000

More photos » by Patrick Smith - AP

Get used to this people... BYU forward Brandon Davies (0) is just getting started in Provo... (AP Photo/Patrick Smith)

Here's a preview of the next six non-MWC contests facing the Cougars over the holidays and heading into conference play next month...

Remaining Non-Conference Games:

BYU vs. Wagner - Thursday, December 17
7 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: BYUTV

The Seahawks hail from Staten Island. They are currently 1-7 and their best-known opponent thus far has been Bucknell, who beat Wagner by 24 in New York. Prediction - Cougars 96, Seahawks 60.

BYU vs. Eastern Washington - Saturday, December 19
7 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: BYUTV

Rodney Stuckey's alma mater is 4-5 but has been competitive in most of their matchups this season. The Eagles most recently lost to Seattle at home in overtime (The same Seattle that beat Utah in Salt Lake and Fresno State in Washington. Their star, Charles Garcia is getting serious NBA attention.). This is a very winnable game for the Cougars at home but senior Brandon Moore could give them problems inside. Prediction - Cougars 89, Eagles 76.

BYU vs. Nevada - Tuesday, December 22
HoopTV Las Vegas Classic - Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)
1 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: BYUTV

This tournament game was originally scheduled for 8:30 pm, but was moved up due to the Cougars contest in the Las Vegas Bowl that evening. BYU has played very well in Orleans Arena in the past - games against Louisville and North Carolina come to mind - but Nevada should have some fans and this is by no means an automatic win. The Cougars have already lost to one WAC opponent and can't afford to lose another. The Wolfpack is currently 4-4 but their losses have all been to quality competition: North Carolina, UOP, UNLV and VCU. The game against EWU will be a good test for the Cougars' post players going against Moore in preparation for Nevada's Luke Babbitt. The sophomore forward is the latest NBA prospect to come out of Reno and has recorded 7 consecutive double-doubles. Prediction - Cougars 74, Wolfpack 71

BYU vs. Nebraska or Tulsa - Wednesday, December 23
HoopTV Las Vegas Classic - Las Vegas (Orleans Arena)
Time - TBA; TV: BYUTV

Nebraska is 7-2 so far and have already knocked off two PAC-10 opponents: USC (in L.A.) and Oregon State. BYU assistant Walter Roese (the surname is pronounced with an 'H' not an 'R) is now coaching in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers are winning with some very impressive defense, holding both of the aforementioned schools below 50 points. This could be a scrappy contest should the Cougars draw Nebraska and BYU will need Tavernari or someone other than Fredette and Haws to really step it up offensively. Prediction - Cougars 64, Cornhuskers 58

Tulsa is also a quality program and potentially a tough matchup for BYU. They are 7-1 and crushed Oklahoma State earlier this month in Tulsa. The Hurricane's lone loss came to Missouri State in Springfield. (Missouri State (9-0) will probably be ranked soon as they have also beaten Auburn and Air Force pretty convincingly.) Tulsa has one of the best centers in the country in Jerome Jordan. Jordan might have been a first-round selection had he made himself eligible last June. If the Cougars can't get their perimeter shots to fall it will be very, very difficult to score on Jordan inside. Prediction - Golden Hurricane 78, Cougars 75

BYU vs Arizona - Monday, December 28 at Tucson
7 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: Fox College Sports (FCS)

This will be an exciting matchup between two of the better point guards in the West. Wildcats' guard Nic Wise remains from last years' Sweet-16 team (with Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill). Arizona has officially begun the post-Lute Olson era however, and Sean Miller is a terrific coach. You should remember him from when he coached Xavier past the Cougars in the 2007 tourney. The Wildcats have been somewhat of a disappointment thus far, as despite it being a rebuilding year in Tucson they have dropped winnable contests to Wisconsin on the road and UNLV at home. Most recently they were destroyed at home by San Diego State. Could Arizona really lose to three MWC opponents in one season? Yes. Prediction - Cougars 70, Wildcats 64.

BYU vs. Eastern New Mexico - Saturday, January 2
7 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: TBA

ENM is located in Portales and is a small school with about 4,300 students. Interestingly, their men's (Greyhounds) and women's (Zia's) athletic teams have different mascots. The Greyhounds are 4-4 on the season with their marquee win being against the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. This will be a good learning experience for the Greyhounds. Remember that win over Southern? Prediction - Cougars 110, Greyhounds 62

(First conference game scheduled for Wednesday, January 6 vs. UNLV in Provo)

BYU vs. UTEP - Saturday, January 9 at El Paso
6 PM Tipoff (MST); TV: CBS College Sports

The Miners are 5-1 thus far but they haven't really played anyone. Their lone loss was at home to New Mexico State. That had to have been a bummer since they had just beaten the Aggies two weeks earlier by 21 in Las Cruzes. So despite the Cougars going on the road, this should really be the calm before the storm of conference competition. Prediction - Cougars 90, Miners 71

Summary:

Before the season began I asserted that BYU's depth and somewhat weaker schedule this season could permit them to have a quality record headed into MWC competition:

"The Cougars should have a very good record going into conference play. That's 15 games into the season and I see no reason why BYU can't be 13-2 at that point."

The Cougars currently sit at 8-1 and their remaining six non-conference contests are all highly winnable. In fact you could probably assume that the games against Wagner and the Eastern Washington and New Mexico's are automatic despite that being a bit hubristic on my part. I also expect the Cougars to have a good showing in the Las Vegas Classic.

The last two games against Arizona State and Fresno State are a sign of things to come. Opponents are now familiar enough with Fredette that they are going to seal off the lane and force the Cougars wing-players to make their mid-range to outside jumpers. Luckily for BYU Tyler Haws and/or Jackson Emery have done just that. You can't say enough good things about Haws' play so far. We certainly anticipated him being a big-time player and even a contributor to the team this season. However, I wasn't expecting him to be playing over 30 minutes a game, rebounding like a kangaroo on crack and consistently making clutch plays down the stretch of games.

But the best thing about this is Tavernari. He's been abysmal shooting from, well, everywhere but the FT line. That's obviously not what's great. What's wonderful is that he's not going to get any worse. JT is shooting 10% below his season average from last year and easily 7% worse behind the arc than any season he's spent in Provo. His minutes are down, his rebounding is down, his assists are down - but all that is going to change.

These last few non-conference games will provide Tavernari the opportunity to get his confidence back. The games against Wagner and EWU may be just what the doctor ordered - and returning to Orleans arena where JT has excelled in the past and where he is familiar having played high school ball in Vegas, could really break him out of this funk. Just in time for conference play.

Additionally, young players like Haws, Davies and others like Abouo and Hartsock are only going to continue to improve. Hartsock has shown that the past couple of games (13 points against the Sun Devils and 11 boards against the Bulldogs) and is now starting at the four. This team is deep. As deep as any I can remember.

If the Cougars do manage to come into MWC play with only one or two losses they will be positioning themselves for a better tournament seed come March. So while UNLV, New Mexico and San Diego State have all been impressive, BYU is the three-time defending champs and their future is looking just as bright as their past.

Updated BYU statistics after the jump...

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Jimmer Fredette	9	31.7	5.6	13.0	42.7	1.8	4.2	42.1	5.8	6.2	92.9	1.0	2.3	3.3	5.8	2.7	1.8	0.2	1.0	18.7
Jackson Emery	9	24.0	3.8	7.6	50.0	2.8	5.8	48.1	1.8	2.2	80.0	0.6	3.2	3.8	1.6	1.2	2.7	0.1	3.1	12.1
Jonathan Tavernari	9	25.4	4.0	11.7	34.3	1.7	5.4	30.6	0.9	1.1	80.0	0.6	4.4	5.0	1.2	1.1	1.3	0.2	2.0	10.6
Tyler Haws	9	26.6	3.6	7.3	48.5	0.4	2.0	22.2	2.3	2.8	84.0	1.4	2.7	4.1	1.6	1.1	0.7	0.2	2.0	9.9
Noah Hartsock	9	21.8	2.7	4.0	66.7	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.8	1.0	77.8	1.2	3.9	5.1	0.6	0.3	0.7	1.0	1.6	6.2
Chris Miles	9	15.9	2.1	3.8	55.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0	1.2	81.8	1.3	2.4	3.8	0.8	0.4	0.3	0.6	2.2	5.2
Charles Abouo	9	12.0	1.4	3.4	41.9	0.3	0.8	42.9	1.7	2.1	78.9	1.1	1.3	2.4	0.7	1.0	0.8	0.4	1.7	4.9
Michael Loyd, Jr.	9	13.1	1.7	2.7	62.5	0.8	1.4	53.8	0.2	0.4	50.0	0.0	0.8	0.8	1.1	1.0	0.3	0.0	0.7	4.3
Brandon Davies	9	12.0	1.4	2.1	68.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.8	62.5	1.1	2.0	3.1	0.4	1.2	0.2	0.6	2.3	4.0
Lamont Morgan, Jr.	9	9.7	0.9	1.3	66.7	0.2	0.3	66.7	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.3	0.4	1.9	0.6	0.3	0.0	0.2	2.0
James Anderson	8	4.1	0.4	0.9	42.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.3	50.0	0.6	0.5	1.1	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.0	1.1	0.9
Logan Magnusson	7	3.7	0.3	0.9	33.3	0.1	0.3	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	1.3	1.7	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.7
Brock Zylstra	6	2.0	0.3	0.7	50.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.7

Poll

What will the Cougars' record be going into conference play?

Checking in With the RPI: 12/13/09

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:07:33 -0000

Checking in with the RPI will be twice a week Thursday's and Sunday's. That is because most of the games are on Wednesday and Saturday, so those next days will have the most change in RPI.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 6th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI

Air Force

Record = 5-3

RPI = 200

SOS = 153

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado, Washington State

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 8-1

RPI = 62

SOS = 222

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Bradley,

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State, Fresno State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Losses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 7-3

RPI = 117

SOS = 210

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco, Colorado, Montana, Denver

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 10-0

RPI = 14

SOS = 96

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California, Texas A&M

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = UC Riverside, San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii, Louisiana Tech

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 8-2

RPI = 37

SOS = 105

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = San Diego

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton, Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's, Pacific

TCU

Record = 5-5

RPI = 144

SOS = 109

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska, Wichita State, Louisiana Tech

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 7-1

RPI = 29

SOS = 40

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = Pittsburgh

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Nevada

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Louisville, Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara, Arizona

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Kansas State

Utah

Record = 5-5

RPI = 209

SOS = 155

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Illinois, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle, Oklahoma

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 5-4

RPI = 294

SOS = 314

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU, Northern Colorado

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

BYU Travels to Frenso State to take on Former Coach

Jeremy Mauss — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:13:05 -0000

More photos » by Patrick Smith - AP

Browse more photos »

Next Game

BYU Cougars (7-1)
@ Fresno St. Bulldogs (4-4)

Saturday, Dec 12, 2009, 7:00 PM PST
Save Mart Center

TV: ESPN 360

Complete Coverage >

The intrigue in this game is that former BYU head coach Steve Cleveland is now at Fresno State, but this year Fresno is struggling a bit with their 4-4 with their best win coming over San Diego. The Bulldogs are currently on a two game winning streak with that San Diego win plus a win over another WCC team Pepperdine.

BYU on the other hand has only the single blemish came by hands of Utah State, but do not expect a loss to Fresno today. Fresno is an average dcoring team that only puts out 68 per game, but Fresno has only two big time scorers in Sylvester Seay and Paul George who score just over 17 per game. After that they have one player who scors in doudble digits.

A big reason for the woes of Fresno is that they average 15.1 turnovers per game, and compare that to BYU who averages 10.1. That difference in five can give BYU a chance for at least five more shots and up to 15 points from the sloppy play of Fresno State.

Defensively Fresno only allows 64 per game, but that is skewed by a 37 point defensive effort against San Diego. Even with that game taken out Fresno is still solid defensively and that number only increases to 68 per game.

Fresno will need to stop at least Jimmer Freddette to have a chance to win this game. BYU has other scorers but if they can force Jimmer to take a bunch of shots with little points is the only chance for Fresno to win.

Realistically BYU should run Freno out of gym and improve to 8-1.

BYU Stats

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Jimmer Fredette	8	31.3	5.3	12.6	41.6	1.5	3.8	40.0	6.0	6.4	94.1	0.9	2.5	3.4	5.6	2.1	1.8	0.3	0.9	18.0
Jackson Emery	8	25.1	4.1	7.5	55.0	3.1	5.9	53.2	1.8	2.3	77.8	0.6	3.6	4.3	1.8	1.4	2.5	0.1	3.3	13.1
Jonathan Tavernari	8	25.8	4.0	11.8	34.0	1.6	5.4	30.2	1.0	1.3	80.0	0.6	4.5	5.1	1.3	0.9	1.3	0.3	1.9	10.6
Tyler Haws	8	25.4	3.1	6.9	45.5	0.1	1.6	7.7	2.6	3.1	84.0	1.5	2.6	4.1	1.6	0.9	0.8	0.3	1.9	9.0
Noah Hartsock	8	21.3	2.5	3.9	64.5	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.8	0.8	100.0	1.3	3.1	4.4	0.6	0.4	0.8	1.0	1.5	5.9
Chris Miles	8	14.4	2.4	4.0	59.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.4	81.8	1.1	2.1	3.3	0.5	0.4	0.1	0.4	2.3	5.9
Charles Abouo	8	13.1	1.6	3.8	43.3	0.4	0.9	42.9	1.9	2.4	78.9	1.3	1.5	2.8	0.8	1.1	0.9	0.5	1.6	5.5
Michael Loyd, Jr.	8	12.9	1.6	2.5	65.0	0.9	1.5	58.3	0.3	0.5	50.0	0.0	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.9	0.4	0.0	0.8	4.4
Brandon Davies	8	12.8	1.6	2.4	68.4	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.1	1.5	75.0	1.1	2.1	3.3	0.4	1.4	0.3	0.5	2.3	4.4
Lamont Morgan, Jr.	8	9.6	0.9	1.3	70.0	0.1	0.1	100.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.4	0.5	2.0	0.5	0.4	0.0	0.3	1.9
James Anderson	7	4.3	0.4	1.0	42.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.3	50.0	0.7	0.6	1.3	0.0	0.1	0.3	0.0	1.1	1.0
Logan Magnusson	7	3.7	0.3	0.9	33.3	0.1	0.3	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.4	1.3	1.7	0.4	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.1	0.7
Brock Zylstra	6	2.0	0.3	0.7	50.0	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.2	0.7

Fresno State Stats

			FG			3PT			FT			Rebounds			Misc
	G	M	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	M	A	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Ast	TO	Stl	Blk	PF	PPG
Paul George	8	33.4	5.5	12.3	44.9	2.1	5.3	40.5	4.6	5.1	90.2	2.1	5.9	8.0	2.9	3.5	2.4	0.6	3.5	17.8
Sylvester Seay	8	29.3	6.1	12.1	50.5	0.9	3.9	22.6	4.0	6.4	62.7	2.1	3.9	6.0	1.5	2.0	1.4	0.9	2.6	17.1
Greg Smith	8	26.8	4.6	6.9	67.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0	4.3	47.1	2.4	4.5	6.9	1.1	1.8	0.5	1.3	2.8	11.3
Mychal Ladd	8	28.6	2.4	7.4	32.2	1.5	4.0	37.5	0.4	0.4	100.0	1.1	1.8	2.9	1.0	1.5	1.0	0.0	1.4	6.6
Steven Shepp	8	27.8	1.9	3.9	48.4	1.5	2.9	52.2	1.3	1.8	71.4	0.1	2.0	2.1	5.1	2.8	1.0	0.4	1.5	6.5
Nedeljko Golubovic	8	16.9	1.3	4.0	31.3	0.5	1.9	26.7	0.5	1.3	40.0	0.6	1.5	2.1	0.6	0.6	0.1	0.1	1.8	3.5
Brandon Webster	2	8.5	1.0	2.0	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.5	2.0	75.0	0.5	1.5	2.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	1.5	2.5	3.5
Brandon Sperling	8	26.4	0.8	3.1	24.0	0.1	1.0	12.5	1.5	2.9	52.2	0.4	3.3	3.6	2.0	2.1	0.6	0.1	2.0	3.1
Jerry Brown Jr.	6	7.3	0.7	0.8	80.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.3	1.3	25.0	0.3	0.5	0.8	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.2	1.3	1.7
Garrett Johnson	4	5.0	0.0	1.3	0.0	0.0	0.5	0.0	0.5	1.0	50.0	0.5	0.0	0.5	0.3	0.0	0.3	0.0	0.8	0.5
Taylor Kelly	1	7.0	0.0	3.0	0.0	0.0	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Checking in With the RPI: 12/10/09

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:44:03 -0000

This may or may not be a daily feature just depends how things work out, but lets give it a go and try a daily for the rest of the week and see how much change there is. Here we will take a look at the current RPI ratings for the entire Mountain West making notes of good wins, bad wins, and their upcoming schedule for the next few games.

As a league the Mountain West is rated 9th in the RPI.

All the RPI info was found at Real Time RPI

Air Force

Record = 5-2

RPI = 194

SOS = 177

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Western States (D-II), Dickinson State (D-II), Charleston Southern, North Carolina Central, Prairie View A&M

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Missouri State

BYU

Record = 7-1

RPI = 85

SOS = 253

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Bradley, Idaho State, Hawaii, Southern University, Weber State, San Francisco, Arizona State

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Utah State

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Colorado State

Record = 4-3

RPI = 134

SOS = 183

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Denver

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Davis, Winston Salem, Mayville State (D-II), San Francisco

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Oregon

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) = Northern Colorado

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Indiana State

New Mexico

Record = 8-0

RPI = 24

SOS = 129

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) = California

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC Riverside, New Mexico State (2 wins), Nicholls State, Miami (OH), Hawaii

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 75-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

San Diego State

Record = 7-2

RPI = 42

SOS = 91

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = UC San Diego (D-II), Santa Clara, Fresno State, Northern Arizona, San Diego, UCSB, Cal State Fullerton

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = St. Mary's, Pacific

TCU

Record = 4-4

RPI = 167

SOS = 151

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Mid-American Christian (non D-I), Cal State Northridge, SMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Arizona State, Nebraska,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) = Louisiana Tech

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Texas Tech

UNLV

Record = 6-0

RPI = 12

SOS = 74

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) = Pittsburgh, Nevada, Louisville, Arizona

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Southern Illinois, Holy Cross, Santa Clara

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) =

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

Utah

Record = 5-4

RPI = 215

SOS = 201

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Utah State, Southern University, Illinois, Weber State, Idaho State, Michigan

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = Idaho, Seattle

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) = Oklahoma State

Wyoming

Record = 3-4

RPI = 330

SOS = 335

Great Wins (RPI 1-50) =

Solid Wins (RPI 51-100) =

Bad Wins (RPI 100+) = Peru State (non D-I), Boise State, Pepperdine, LMU

Bad Losses (RPI 100 or greater) = South Dakota State, Denver, Monmouth, Hampton,

Eh Losses (RPI 51-100) =

Good Loses (RPI 1-50) =

BYU Dismantles Arizona State, 81-68

Layton — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:26:46 -0000

More photos » by Patrick Smith - AP

6 days ago: BYU guard Jimmer Fredette (32) drives past two Arizona State defenders in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Patrick Smith)

Browse more photos »

"La vengeance se mange très-bien froide." - Marie Joseph Eugène, Mathilde

Tonight's win over Arizona State feels good after last season's loss in Tempe. In a way though, it also makes the loss to Utah State look worse... No matter, ASU is ASU (I don't care if Harden and Pendergraph are gone) and anytime a MWC team beats a Pac-10 opponent it's a very good thing. Let's hope the football team follows suit on the 22nd.

This was easily the Cougars' most impressive win thus far. Not only were they able to overcome shooting woes from Fredette (1 of 14...yikes!) and Tavernari (again...2 of 8), but it was their defense, especially in the first half, that dominated ASU. Anytime you give up just 8 assists while creating 12 turnovers - and only turn the ball over 6 times yourselves - you have a great chance of winning the game.

I'd put Tyler Haws up against any freshman swing-man in the country. Kid is a phenom: 17 points, 11 boards, and 6 broken hearts at Helaman Halls when he leaves on a mission (and counting...). His fellow Lone Peak alum wasn't too shabby either, Emery connected on five 3's and finished with 17 as well. Imagine if Fredette and/or Tavernari had shot decently...scary.

Though it's early in the season, with a lot of basketball to be played, the win should help boost BYU's seeding come tourney time in March and put them into the top 25 very soon.

The Cougars (7-1) travel to Fresno State Saturday to take on potential first-round draft pick Paul George and the Bulldogs.

(Arizona) East Valley Tribune Recap
AP Recap
Deseret News Recap
KSL Recap
MWC Connection Recap

Final - 12.8.2009	1	2	Total
Arizona St. Sun Devils	23	45	68
BYU Cougars	39	42	81

Complete Coverage >

BYU Gets Revenge While TCU Blows Halftime Lead

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:48:26 -0000

Final - 12.8.2009	1	2	Total
Arizona St. Sun Devils	23	45	68
BYU Cougars	39	42	81

Complete Coverage >

BYU got revenge over last years controversial call that overturned a buzzer beater tip in by the Sun Devils. BYU took off and never looked back in this game. Arizona State did stop BYU's Jimmer Freddette and held him to 1-14 shooting and only ten points, but the rest of the Cougars helped out by having three others score in double figures.

Neither team shot particularly well --both at 43 percent-- but the difference was the turnover margin that had BYU a plus six. BYU also won the rebounding 34-28 with eight second chance opportunities to ASU's three.

Final - 12.8.2009	1	2	Total
Texas Tech Red Raiders	36	44	80
TCU Horned Frogs	41	29	70

Complete Coverage >

The Horned Frogs stormed out of the gate with an early 14-4 lead and TCU was able to hang on to a five point lead at the half, and the game seemed to be somewhat in the hands of the Horned Frogs for an upset win over 23 ranked Texas Tech.

Then the second half started which saw the TCU lead shrink to a deficit and eventually a lose. The Horned Frogs were unable to keep their momentum going from the early first half, and showed while they have talent, but need to realize it is a 40 minute game.

TCU was lead in scoring by a monster night in Zyonko Buljan who had 24 points and 10 boards, but that was not enough as Tech shot over 50 percent from the field compared to TCU's 42 percent.

BYU vs. Arizona State and TCU vs. Texas Tech Preview and Open Thread

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:33:22 -0000

Wow that is a long title, but tonight are a pair of good games. Just hope TCU can hang close with Texas Tech who is fresh off a victory over Washington; while BYU wants revenge from last years controversy buzzer beater loss to Arizona State. So my preview crashed and I just found out, but TCU is doing good at the half by leading TCU.

Next Game

Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-0)
@ TCU Horned Frogs (5-3)

Tuesday, Dec 8, 2009, 4:30 PM PST
Daniel-Meyer Coliseum

TV: The Mtn

Complete Coverage >

Next Game

Arizona St. Sun Devils
@ BYU Cougars

Tuesday, Dec 8, 2009, 7:00 PM PST
Marriott Center

TV: The Mtn

Complete Coverage >

BYU is looking to avenge last year's reversal of a last second tip in that gave the victory to ASU. However, this years game is at the Marriott Center home of BYU and the Cougars hardly lose at home. The previous game for both squads was a loss with BYU losing to Utah State and Aarizona State falling to Baylor.

For ASU they must stop Jimmer Freddette which is exactly what Utah State did. Jimmer was able to get 19 points but it was on 5 for 15 shooting and six free throws. ASU will want Jonathan Tavernari and others to beat them and not Jimmer which will give them a good chance to win.

ASU has four scorers who average 9.5 to 14 points per game with any of them able to go off for 20 points per game, so BYU will need to stop that one from blowing up. The Cougar defense is very good and gives up just over 50 per game, well so does Arizona State.

This game will come down to who can make a defensive stop.

Weekly Look at the College Basketball Polls

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:33:37 -0000

The Mountain West has only UNLV in the both polls at 17 in the coaches and 18th in the AP poll. UNLV is currently 7-0 which is their best start in nearly a decade. New Mexico is close to being ranked after beating 21st Cal last week. Had BYU beat Utah State they might be ranked as well. Check the full rankings below.

ESPN/USA Today Poll

1. Kansas (31) 7-0 775

2. Texas 6-0 732

3. Villanova 8-0 699

4. Kentucky 8-0 672

5. Purdue 7-0 650

6. Syracuse 8-0 623

8. West Virginia 5-0 600

8. Duke 7-1 542

9. Tennessee 6-1 483

10. North Carolina 7-2 441

11. Florida 8-0 418

12. Connecticut 6-1 413

13. Georgetown 6-0 393

14. Michigan State 6-2 386

15. Ohio State 7-1 365

16. Washington 6-1 276

17. UNLV 7-0 253

18. Texas A&M 7-1 216

19. Cincinnati 5-1 177

20. Butler 6-2 150

21. Georgia Tech 6-1 128

22. Gonzaga 6-2 126

23. Wisconsin 6-1 104

24. Vanderbilt 6-1 67

24. Clemson 7-2 67

Others Receiving Votes Texas Tech 49, Florida State 37, New Mexico 37, Louisville 36, Mississippi 27, Oklahoma State 17, Kansas State 16, Illinois 12, Memphis 10, California 10, St. John's 9, Notre Dame 8, Wake Forest 7, Charlotte 7, Northwestern 6, Saint Mary's 6, Richmond 5, Tulsa 5, Brigham Young 4, Washington State 3, William & Mary 3, Dayton 2, Seton Hall 2, Baylor 1.

AP Top 25

1. Kansas (62) 7-0 1,621

2. Texas (1) 6-0 1,514

3. Villanova (1) 8-0 1,460

4. Kentucky 8-0 1,417

5. Purdue 7-0 1,409

6. West Virginia 5-0 1,272

7. Syracuse (1) 8-0 1,270

8. Duke 7-1 1,058

9. Tennessee 6-1 1,047

10. Florida 8-0 1,024

11. North Carolina 7-2 985

12. Michigan State 6-2 876

13. Ohio State 7-1 806

14. Connecticut 6-1 787

15. Georgetown 6-0 723

16. Texas A&M 7-1 512

17. Washington 6-1 495

18. UNLV 7-0 429

19. Cincinnati 5-1 334

20. Wisconsin 6-1 298

21. Gonzaga 6-2 279

22. Butler 6-2 221

23. Texas Tech 8-0 219

24. Georgia Tech 6-1 171

25. Mississippi 7-1 127

Others Receiving Votes

Memphis 99, Clemson 96, Vanderbilt 74, Florida State 59, Kansas State 59, Northwestern 48, Miami (FL) 46, Oklahoma State 41, Notre Dame 37, New Mexico 35, Illinois 18, Charlotte 18, Baylor 17, Richmond 17, Louisville 15, St. John's 14, Missouri State 14, Brigham Young 13, Pittsburgh 11, Dayton 8, Seton Hall 6, California 5, Minnesota 5, North Carolina State 3, Cornell 3, Illinois State 3, Tulsa 3, William & Mary 2, UAB 1, Northern Iowa 1.

Big Night in Mountain West Hoops: Open Thread and Previews

Jeremy Mauss — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:48:41 -0000

Tonight is the first really big night in hoops with San Diego State playing at University of San Diego, #25 Cal playing at the Pit against New Mexico, Arizona is hosting UNLV, and BYU is at Utah State. These are the biggies for tonight. The first preview will be the Cal game at New Mexico.

Next Game

#25 California Golden Bears (4-2)
@ New Mexico Lobos (6-0)

Wednesday, Dec 2, 2009, 6:00 PM PST
The Pit

TV: CBS College Sports

Complete Coverage >

Out all the Pac-10 woes from UCLA losing big man Drew Gordon to Gonzaga because he said "the team has no heart." Then there is that the league being pretty pathetic with league loses to Montana, Cal State-Fullerton, San Diego, Oral Roberts, and Loyala Marymount. Then there is Cal who is number 25 in the polls sitting with a 4-2 record. New Mexico is no joke sitting at 6-0 and is getting a little pub from the polls, but this will be their first big test this year.

The Lobos have a chance to contend in the Mountain West with their tough schedule that will test them and that starts tonight against Cal and then continues with games against Texas A&M, Creighton, San Diego, Texas Tech, and Dayton. Their RPI will be up there but wins will be necessary as well for the Lobos.

The Lobos thought they would be struggling to replace their top three scorers, but coach Steve Alford has been surprised with Darington Hobson (18.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg) and forward Roman Martinez (14.7, 5.7), but the bigger surprise might be that Phillip McDonald who at any time can blow up; as example from his 27 point performance against rival New Mexico State.

On the Cal side, the team is still not at full strength until it gets Theo Robertson and Harper Kamp back in the lineup on a consistent basis, gives the Lobos a barometer to see how good they will be this season. The Bears' guards Jerome Randle and Patrick Christopher will be the best back court they see all year.

Next Game

BYU Cougars (5-0)
@ Utah State Aggies (3-2)

Wednesday, Dec 2, 2009, 6:05 PM PST
Dee Glen Smith Spectrum

TV: CW 30 (locally in Utah)

ESPN 360 and ESPN Full Court

Complete Coverage >

This game is always a big matchup as both schools have been good the past five years. On the year BYU has been blowing out teams by 27 per game and scoring 88 per game. Those numbers will not be the same tonight, because Utah State has won 20 wins per season for who knows how long. Also, the Aggies do not lose at the Spectrum which is one of the loudest arenas in the country.

Do not let the 3-2 record fool for Utah State they are always a good team the non-conference season can be difficult for the Aggies at times, but when the season ends they will be at the top of the WAC with 20 wins. The only decent team that Utah State has played is Utah who is only 3-3 and lost by a single point; while the rest of their games have been against some pretty weak competition.

The leaders for Utah State are Tai Wesley (13 PPG and 5.8 REB), Jared Quayle (11.8 PPG, 8 REB, and 4.4 AST), and Nate Bendall (10.6 PPG and 7.4 REB). In addition to those three there are three more players who average seven to eight points per game. The Aggies have a balanced team which could help against BYU, but they will need to either play uptempo with BYU or try to stop the offensive power of Jonathan Tavernari, Jimmer Fredette, and Jacksn Emery. All three of those players combine for 46 points which is nearly half of the teams production, so if Utah State can slow down any of those three the Aggies will have a good chance.

Next Game

TCU Horned Frogs (2-2)
@ SMU Mustangs (4-3)

Wednesday, Dec 2, 2009, 5:30 PM PST
Moody Coliseum

TV: none

Complete Coverage >

Neither of these schools are great hoops teams, but this is a rival game and that should make this an interesting game. Both schools can put up some points as TCU averages 75.7 where SMU 69.3, and are capabale of scoring above that average.

TCU's top players PPG REB AST

Ronnie Moss	G	19.1	3.4	7.1
Edvinas Ruzgas	G	14.1	2.6	0.6
Zvonko Buljan	F	13.1	10.7	2.3

SMU top players PPG REB AST

Mouhammad Faye	F	14.8	5.3	0.5
Paul McCoy	G	14.3	5.3	2.8
Derek Williams	G	13.3	2.5	2.8

The top players from each school matchup pretty well and the first school to stop one of the top three should be able to win this game.

Game Preview: Cougars-Aggies

Layton — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:59:49 -0000

Some quick tidbits about tonight's crucial early-season game in Logan...

BYU's averaging 88 points per game and winning games by an average of 27 points. The Cougar defense is going to have to continue their terrific play tonight (averaging 11 steals a game) if they want to leave Logan with a win.

Here's why: The Aggies have won 36 straight games in the Spectrum, and the last time they lost an in-state game at home was 9 years ago when BYU escaped in a close one, 82-73, behind Terrell Lyday's 35 points (USU's won 20 of their last 21 against in-state foes)...and then there's this: the Aggies have won 23 or more games each of the last 10 seasons.

The Cougars are going to have to play extremely well to notch their 6th win.