So BYU hoops finally dropped a game, losing by 7 points in the Wooden Classic to the team that Wooden coached. UCLA is probably a better team than their record indicates. They certainly played like a dominant team for stretches of the game.
So what's next for BYU? Well, first off, a string of wins, theoretically. They play at Weber State tonight, which is a tough place to win. However, without Damian Lillard, it is a much more difficult task for the Wildcats to hang with the Cougars. The man put his team on his back last season and almost single-handedly willed them into the NCAA Tournament, falling just short in the Big Sky Championship Game to Montana and Anthony Johnson's 42 points. That was honestly the best non-NCAA tournament game I watched last season.
Next up, they get rebuilding UTEP at home on Thursday. It is only UTEP's second true road game of the season, after winning by 2 against 5-7 New Mexico State. They will find the going a little bit tougher at the Marriott Center.
The Cougars then get a week off before a game at Buffalo. The Bulls present a more formidable challenge than UTEP or Weber State will, but they are not as good as some of the teams that BYU has dismantled, though it is a true road game: BYU has only played one of those so far this season. BYU will have to figure out how to keep it rolling after a week off: their only other week break this season was prior to UCLA
Then BYU plays Division II Fresno Pacific.
They will have a chance to get healthy, because they shouldn't be required to log a lot of minutes these next two weeks (though Collinsworth could definitely benefit from some time on the floor, after missing nearly a month). BYU will need Collinsworth and Hartsock once conference play begins. Both played limited minutes against UCLA. It was Collinsworth's first game back from injury. He was a little out of sync on offense, but managed a team-high 7 rebounds in just 20 minutes. Hartsock was less effective. The UCLA interior players put up 60 on BYU on Saturday. A healthy Hartsock and Collinsworth will be needed to keep some of the MWC post players from doing similar damage (i.e. San Diego State's trio of forwards Kawhi Leonard, Billy White, and Malcolm Thomas).
I think the loss will refocus the Cougars. After beating up on Arizona last weekend, they probably had a mindset that UCLA would be less formidable. UCLA had an inside presence, and BYU failed down there, as they have shown glimpses of doing all season. I look for BYU to take a 13-1 record (the Division II game does not count towards BYU's record) to Vegas on January 5th. I had BYU at 12-2, so they have exceeded my already lofty expectations. This is BYU's best chance to take down UNLV at the Thomas & Mack. UNLV does not have an inside scorer they can count on as they have in years past, so they will have to rely on penetration and 3-point shooting. Then again, if BYU's interior D is as porous as it was against UCLA, Bryce Massamba might look like an All-American against BYU...
One other interesting note: the MWC is not considered a Mid-Major, but the WCC is. So BYU will become a Mid-Major school overnight. I do wonder, however if that dynamic will change with the departures of BYU and Utah from the MWC and the addition of BYU to the WCC. Both leagues will look very similar once the transition takes place: 2 NCAA Tournament teams, 1 NIT team, and a bunch of rummies. I think the addition of Boise State combined with those two losses probably pushes the MWC back down to the level of Mid-Major. Is the presence of BYU enough to lift the WCC from the list of Mid-Majors and replace the MWC? Probably not. But it is an interesting debate...
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