Well, BYU won its second and final exhibition game last night, beating Division II Central Washington, 82-46. Here are a few thoughts from the game:
Brandon Davies is the best center on the team. I know he's just a freshman and I wouldn't overwork him and wear him down, but I would start him and play him at least 20 minutes a game. I didn't realize how bad Chris Miles is offensively or how slow defensively, until I could compare the two next to each other.
BYU played a lot of different lineups: some worked, some didn't. At one point in time, Noah Hartsock, Jackson Emery, and Logan Magnusson were on the floor together. Offensively, that was a nightmare. It might be one of the better defensive lineups, but it's not worth it for the total lack of production on the offensive end. There was a ton of speed when Michael Loyd and Lamon Morgan were both in the game at the same time. BYU was really able to push the ball. It is a smaller lineup defensively, but Loyd showed a couple of times that he can sky for the rebound. The one lineup I didn't see that I would like to, particularly against some of the guard-oriented teams in the MWC: Tavernari, Abouo, Haws, Emery, and Fredette. I realize that lineup is tiny, but that would be impossible to stop on the offensive side. All 5 can shoot the 3-ball, penetrate off the dribble, finish at the rim, and make free throws.
The defense was solid last night. The perimeter defense was a step slow on their rotation early but got it solved by halftime. The interior defense was phenomenal early but weren't quite as crisp in the second half. The freshman were particularly impressive, for freshman, on the defensive side of the ball. I do worry about Haws being taken off the dribble and I'm not sure how Davies will respond against a center that can post up.
It appears that Zylstra and Magnusson are the weak links on the team. I believe Magnusson should/will likely redshirt. Since these two are players 12 and 13 (and only 12 can dress for games), it only makes sense to redshirt one of them. Zylstra has already redshirted.
I worry about the interior offense. Hartsock, who played some 5 last night (I hope it doesn't continue), has promise but looks like he's fresh off a mission. So does probable starting center Chris Miles. Problem is: they aren't fresh off missions and should be better by now. Anderson is a solid THIRD center. Davies is going to continue to be a black hole/vacuum, but, like I said earlier, he should definitely start. Hey, at least he puts it in the basket occasionally. Chris Miles should try that from time to time, particularly from inside 4 feet!
Tavernari got hot early, which was exciting. However, he kept shooting all game even after that early hot spell turned cold. I think this will continue to be a trend for him, as is his usual MO.
Two worries still: perimeter defense, interior scoring. Rebounding was a lot better last night. The boxing out was better from the big men and the guards got involved as well, which helped spark the fast break, especially with the Loyd/Morgan combination out there.
Don't expect much from the Cougars this year. They should be in the upper tier but that should do it. Too bad for Fredette as he deserves better.
ReplyDelete