What is the story about?
BYU’s
offense was as good as advertised in a 94-83 win over Ohio State that included 60 points in the second half and 78 points in the final 27 minutes. Below are some of my thoughts and takeaways from the game and BYU moving forward.
- Rob Wright looked like an All-American. One year after playing second (and third) fiddle to AJ Dybantsa and Richie Saunders, Rob Wright had no problem being the guy. Rob put up one of the best performances on the opening day of college basketball, finishing with 33 points, 5 assists, and 1 turnover on 9-15 shooting from the field (4-5 from three) and 11-12 from the foul line. BYU’s spacing in the starting five is elite, and Rob used that space to get to the paint at will and finish around the basket or with floaters. That to me is sustainable — BYU’s five starters all space the floor so well and force defenses to choose whether to cheat on Rob or open up a shooter on the outside. Ohio State does have small guards, and that worked in BYU’s favor. We’ll see how Rob performs once when opponents have more physical guards to put up on him. There won’t be much of that in non-conference play, so Rob should continue to feast for awhile.
- BYU’s offense should be among the nation’s elite. Kevin Young built this team with an identity of spacing and shooting , and that showed up in a big way. Rob Wright had so much more space to operate than last year, and BYU as a team shot 46% from three.
- Tyler Betsey showed up. Tyler Betsey is the perfect complement to everyone else in the starting five. Betsey was a knockdown shooter at Syracuse, and all offseason all I heard is that he is the best shooter on the team. That showed up Monday night. Betsey shot 4-5 from distance and led the team with 7 rebounds. At 6-foot-9, he is a potent floor spacer. Betsey doesn’t need the ball to be effective. His ability to catch and shoot is exactly the right fit with what BYU has around him.
- BYU’s lack of rim protection puts a ceiling on the team. BYU’s defense didn’t play great, but they had enough good stretches of slowing down the Buckeyes that allowed them to build a lead. BYU had zero blocks, and Ohio State was able to have success at the rim with forward Amare Bynum and dribble penetration. In order to be effective on defense, BYU will have to be either disruptive (i.e., force turnovers) or be fundamentally sound and in the right place, or a combination of both, because teams will attack BYU at the rim with either dribble penetration or beef in the paint (depending on the personnel).
- Brooks Bahr will be a fixture in the rotation. On a night where BYU’s bench provided only 8 points, Brooks Bahr was the best performer from the second unit. Brooks scored just 2 points in 14 minutes, but his infectious energy ended with a +11 plus/minus, by far the best of any bench player. Brooks played great defense on John Mobley, Ohio State’s star guard. Brooks will be a main cog of BYU’s bench moving forward. I expect to see bigger Khadim Mboup rebounding games and BYU will need Jake Wahlin to be better, but Brooks’ first college basketball regular season game off his mission was encouraging.
- Can BYU establish itself as a team with an elite offense and good enough defense? BYU won’t be a great defense. They don’t have the horses or personnel to be that. What they should strive to be is an offense that is top 3 in the nation and defense that halfway decent and good situationally. That is a formula to get into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Look at what Alabama was last year — #3 KenPom offense and #61 defense. That turned into a Sweet 16 appearance and loss to eventual champion Michigan. If they got a different draw, that could have meant another win or two. I think that is a reasonable goal for BYU. They can absolutely be one of the nation’s premier offenses. If they can rebound well and defend well situationally, then that is the formula to get into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. And once that happens, you’re one game at a time.
