Welcome to CrashUtah – Where BYU fans Talk Sports

We’re definitely outnumbered here in Las Vegas. I love this game atmosphere. Check out the sea of red.

I previously wrote about some amazing conference stats. Here’s some of those same stats compared nationally:

The statistics offer plenty of evidence: BYU is first in the country in free-throw percentage, third in scoring margin, fourth in field-goal percentage, 24th in field-goal percentage defense and seventh in scoring offense. The Cougars are in the top 100 in all 18 statistical categories kept by the NCAA, and in the top 50 in 15 of them. -source

That same article says the reason they’re doing so well this year is because of their defense. I won’t argue that the defense isn’t better. However, I think the real improvement this year is the free throw shooting. Chris Miles deserves a TON of credit for his improvement in free throw shooting. I don’t remember the last time I’ve seen a big man improve his free throw shooting this much this quickly. I seem to remember it taking Karl Malone about 5 years to improve his free throw shooting. Not only does his improvement in free throw shooting mean more points on the board, but it also means that the other teams defense can’t just hack away at our big men.

I saw this in a Wyoming paper:
“BYU ranks in the top three in 18 of 21 team statistical categories and leads nine of them.”

That’s just amazing! Let’s hope it’s not just all due to cupcakes on the schedule.

Jimmer is just outstanding. Don’t ask me why I don’t mind when Jimmer takes an ill advised shot when I hate when JT does it. I just love Jimmer’s confidence. Maybe I just love it in my point guard and not in my forwards. Either way Jimmer was awesome to watch in the end of the game against Weber State.

Of course Emery had the real money shots. He got a little over his skis after making 3 in a row, but I’m sure that the basket was looking huge for him tonight. In fact, pretty much most of the season.

I think this is going to be a nice season for BYU and I predict that they’ll deliver BYU’s first tournament win in far too long. I like teams with shooters in the tournament and this BYU team looks like it has a number of nice shooters.

My first live game this season for basketball and I see some real promise. Although sadly the biggest takeaway is probably that Weber State doesn’t look very good so far. Their bench actually looks pretty athletic so maybe they’ll improve as the season goes on.

I am really impressed with Davies’ length. The ball movement looks really good. Haws has also lived up to the billing and seems to be outworking everyone on the floor.

JT is still the same old JT. My brother-in-law said it best on Thanksgiving when he said, “I’m thankful that JT’s a senior.”. Oh yes, we’re definitely still getting pretty worked on the boards.

One thing is certain about this team. They’ll be really exciting to watch.

Getting ready for the BYU men’s basketball game against Weber State. I just love seeing a game at the Marriott Center. Go Cougs!!

Check out these videos that were created announcing the various BYU games.

Ronnie Ron and Roscoe’s Introduction

Ronnie Ron and Roscoe Visit the Marriott Center

Ronnie Ron and Roscoe Meet Jimmer Fredette

I also really liked this commercial for BYU Basketball. Got me going and excited for the basketball season.

As a side note, I went to the exhibition game for UNLV against Washburn and they weren’t looking that impressive. They have a bit of talent, but it’s pretty raw. They actually barely pulled off the win against Washburn.

I must admit that I was shocked when I heard that BYU was matched up with Texas A&M again. I remember the feeling last year and A&M just isn’t a really good match up for us. They just have more athletes. However, we were in the game and so I think we still have a chance. On top of this, I think there are a number of other reasons why I’m still optimistic about BYU’s chances against Texas A&M in the tournament.

Jimmer Fredette – Jimmer is the future of BYU and thankfully he’s here now. He’s the first point guard at BYU in my lifetime (or at least memory) that can take someone off the dribble, get penetration and take it to the hoop. Plus, Jimmer just seems like a big game guy who seems to really get up for big games and I think he’ll do the same on college basketball’s biggest stage.

Team Defense – I haven’t heard nearly enough about BYU’s defense this year. I mentioned this a while back, but I think that BYU’s help defense and rotating to cover the open man is the best I’ve ever seen it. Add in quick hands by Jackson Emery and the JT’s ability to cause steals and turnovers (which is a surprise to me) and I have reason for optimism.

Underestimating Lee Cummard/Jackson Emery – Let’s be honest. If you looked at Lee Cummard and Jackson Emery for the first time, would you be nervous? Sure, they’ll have a reasonable amount of tape and hype on Lee, but he’s so long that I think that it takes teams a little bit to realize what he’s capable of doing. Emery should surprise people even more. Just wait and see if the A&M coach isn’t singing these 2 guys names after the game.

Miles Free Throw Shooting – I’m too lazy to look up the specific numbers, but we’re all familiar with Miles past troubles at the foul line. I’m not sure what has made the difference, but I’m not getting a heart attack every time Miles goes to the free throw line. In fact, he really seems to have some confidence on the line and won’t be the reason we lose the game.

Any other reasons that I’ve left out? I can’t wait for the game!!

With the conference tournament really starting today, it merits a few moments to consider what BYU stands to lose, and in turn gain, in the tournament.

In short, I really don’t think the outcome of the tournament will have a tremendous impact on BYU in terms of the NCAA tournament. Of course losing to Air Force in the first round would not be a good thing, but how likely is that to happen. Beyond a first round loss there really is not much damage to be done. Losing to San Diego St. would not be a huge upset, nor would losing to UNLV in their home invitational. Losing in the championship to anyone else would not be terribly tragic either.

In terms of what good can come of it, I also feel it is limited. Lets just say that BYU beats AFA, then either San Diego St. or UNLV who are pretty comparable, and Utah in the championship. All that may do is move BYU up one seed, two at the most. So instead of being an 8-9 seed they are a 7-8. There really is not a huge difference in the long run.

The biggest thing BYU could gain from the tournament is getting on a roll. It is insane how good they are when they get hot. With a shooting team like BYU it cannot be overlooked how important getting on a run can be. When shooters get hot it is hard to stop them. Playing three quality games in a familiar, if not friendly, arena could do wonders for helping them go into the big dance with some momentum.

Either way, I am excited for the tournament to start and the madness that is march to commence.

The end of the regular season gives me cause to reflect on the events of this year all the way back to the end of last season. The biggest decisions that affected how this season played out were made shortly after the season when Trent Plaisted decided to declare for the NBA Draft, and Lee Cummard decided to stay.

There is no way that anyone could possibly know what would have happened if those choices were changed in anyway. All we can do at this point is look at how those decisions have played out.

First, we’ll consider Plaisted. He was drafted number 46 by the Seattle Supersonics, now the Oklahoma City Thunder, and was immediately traded to the Detroit Pistons. He ultimately signed with Angelico Biella in Italy until he suffered a season ending injury in December.

While there is no telling how his fate would have changed had he stayed at BYU, at the time, I think he made the right choice to enter the draft, and I still do. There is no way you can forecast an injury, and with a full season of development he may very well have cracked into an NBA roster next season.

Now lets consider Cummard. Many so called experts felt he had a good chance to be drafted, but there is little reason to believe he would have gone much higher, if at all, than Plaisted did. The risk you run of staying another season is you may get injured, or you may not have a very good year, and your stock could drop.

While Cummard did not get injured, he did not have quite the stellar season he probably would have hoped for. He obviously did not show that he is a superstar team leader, but that is not all bad. In this day and age of egotistical superstars, there is more need than ever for roleplayers that are willing to do the dirty work.

I look at Lee as more of an Adam Keefe type player. Someone that you know will work their butt off, scrap for rebounds, and in the vein of Robert Horry, may just hit a game winner for you when the game is on the line. He is not an up and down emotional player, but rather someone that will consistently give you all he has. He will probably never put up 20 points a game in the NBA, but he may just be the difference maker in a series like Robert Horry, Steve Kerr, or Jeff Hornacek.

There is no way to know what would have happened if Lee had entered the draft last year, but as a diehard BYU fan, I would just like to personally say thank you to Lee for all of his hard work in his time at BYU. He has been a huge part of building a foundation of success at BYU that will hopefully last for years to come. Best of luck in the Las Vegas Invitational, and the Big Dance, and here’s hoping you find much success in the NBA, you deserve it.