In a game that BYU absolutely had to win in order to stay in the hunt for an at-large berth, they pulled through, winning 70-68 at Virginia Tech. It was ugly at times. There were a lot of 6/8-0 runs for BYU and just as many given up by BYU. BYU's younger players continued to show an inability to play calm under pressure at times, when the Hokies made a run, or the crowd got involved, BYU played "frantic" for sure. But you have to admire the toughness they displayed in gutting out the win.
To me, the most important thing BYU can take from this win is confidence by a lot of different players. Harrison came in and gave the Cougars an early lift, hitting a three and eating up some minutes. Nate Austin hit some big jumpers and nabbed 3 offensive boards. Winder had three steals throughout the course of the game that all led to breakaways (unfortunately, BYU only netted 3 points on those 3 fastbreak opportunities). Davies and Hartsock combined to go 18-20 on Free Throws. When Hartsock was ineffective early, Davies went to work. When Davies got in foul trouble, Hartsock picked it up, including a big block on a layup at the end of the game. Zylstra did nothing offensively all night (surprise that Brock didn't play well against a decent opponent...), but then the game-winning three. Carlino was 1-8 from three and just kept shooting. Abouo continues to look lost in transition, in the half-court set, under the basket.
Between Zylstra, Carlino, and Abouo, the starting backcourt went 7-33 from the field and 3-20 from three. The Cougars also got outrebounded. They did that on the road, in the ACC (granted a middle of the pack ACC team that really has no chance to make the NCAA Tournament). And they won.
They won the game by sharing and valuing the basketball (14 assists on 22 baskets and committing 7 turnovers), mixing up the defenses in the first half (playing a little 3-2 matchup zone in addition to the usual 2-3 zone), forcing Virginia Tech turnovers (7 steals by BYU, 15 turnovers by Va Tech), and making free throws (21-24). This was a team win. A lot of guys made significant contributions, even if it was only one or two plays.
Clearly there is opportunity to improve. But this was a win that BYU can build off of. They allowed the frenetic pace and frenzied environment to get to them. But they battled back and continued to fight. They played poorly on the road and won. They have not done that a whole lot this season, perhaps at Utah and, one could argue, Loyola Marymount. Big win. BYU remains firmly on the bubble with the win. A loss would have essentially ended hope of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Now, there is new life and opportunity, and two big games ahead. As the great sage of comedy says: get 'er done.
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