Quick hits from BYU-UNLV
Well … not the most glorious afternoon for the Cougars. UNLV came out sizzling en route to an 88-74 victory over BYU. Here are a few thoughts I had during and after the game:
1) Perimeter defense? What’s that? UNLV came into the game shooting only 31 percent from beyond the arc … then proceeded to make 9-of-13 threes to start the game. The hot shooting propelled the Rebels to a 41-15 (41-15!!!) lead and put the game away early. You knew things were getting out of hand when BYU coach Dave Rose inserted Logan Magnusson — BYU’s premier garbage-time player — into the lineup with about six minutes left in the first half. That was a desperate attempt by Rose to spark his team. It didn’t work.
2) For maybe the first time this season, Tyler Haws looked overwhelmed. He forced his first three shots (all misses) and lost his dribble several times, one of which led to a turnover. He finished with five points on 2-of-8 shooting and was largely a non-factor. Maybe he’s still feeling the effects of his head injury against TCU but the game looked too fast for the freshman.
3) UNLV’s mix of pressure defense and hot outside shooting made BYU look foolish and disorganized. Credit the Rebels for coming out aggressive and forcing the Cougars out of their comfort zone.
4) Maybe UNLV’s Tre’Von Willis took offense to the premature notion that Jimmer Fredette is a slam dunk to win the MWC Player of the Year award. His line against BYU was ridiculously good: 33 points (a career high), 11-of-20 from the field, 4-of-7 from three-point range, 7-of-9 from the free-throw line, five rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one block. Fredette will probably still win the award but Willis was fantastic against the Cougars.
5) One of the (many) areas where BYU clearly struggled was rebounding, especially rebounds off of missed perimeter shots. The Rebels out rebounded the Cougars 36 to 30, and it seemed like every long rebound was snagged by a UNLV player.
6) I can only imagine what’s going to happen to BYU’s ranking after getting pummelled by UNLV. As poorly as they played, I can’t quite see the Cougars dropping completely out of the top 25. If I had to guess, it would be somewhere between 20 and 25. Las Vegas is not an easy place to play, especially when UNLV is sporting a quality team.