Quick hits from BYU-Utah

So much for the buildup of a “revenge game” for the Utes. BYU’s bench scored 44 points and the Cougars held the Utes to 26.9 percent shooting en route to the 71-51 victory in an anticlimactic rivalry game. Here are a few thoughts I had during BYU’s thumping of Utah:

1) Another game, another great performance from Michael Loyd, Jr. (this time in the first half). BYU’s version of the energizer bunny scored 18 first-half points (to go with four steals) as he propelled the Cougars to a 12-point halftime lead while Jimmer Fredette was forced to the bench with two fouls in the first five minutes. Loyd has his limitations in the half-court game, but when the defense gives him space (as Utah did on a consistent basis) he turns on the jets and gets to the hole as well as anybody. His frenetic pace sparks the Cougars into a more natural transition game when he’s on the floor.

2) Fredette struggled to get into the flow after sitting for over 10 minutes in the first half, and finished with eight points (on 1-for-7 shooting), five rebounds and two turnovers. People will probably debate whether BYU is a better team with Loyd running the offense instead of Fredette, but to me this is a foolish idea. There’s a reason Fredette has gotten so much national attention this season: he’s really good. Loyd is a perfect change-of-pace backup who can come in and light up the scoreboard. Fredette has plenty of time to get healthy and overcome his recent slump, as the Cougars have one more regular-season game remaining before they play in the MWC tournament in Las Vegas next week. I think he’ll be just fine.

3) A better debate is whether Fredette will be the MWC Player of the Year. It seemed like he had it locked up as recently as two weeks ago, but New Mexico’s Darington Hobson now looks like the leading candidate. Hobson boasts and eye-catching all-around game and was the main reason the Lobos escaped Provo with the victory on Saturday. Also in the conversation is UNLV guard Tre’Von Willis. In my mind, any of these three players would be a deserving winner.

4) Brandon Davies has officially busted through the freshman wall he ran into a few weeks ago. His resurgence couldn’t come at a better time for the Cougars, as Chris Miles seems to be losing steams as the season goes along. Davies opened the second half with five straight points and finished the game with a career-high 21 points to go along with seven rebounds and a steal. More importantly, he made an efficient 7-of-9 shots and 7-of-11 free throws. His new-found aggressiveness could be a huge asset to the Cougars if he keeps it up.

5) The one player who seems to be able to grab consistent rebounds for the Cougars is Charles Abouo. Abouo leads the Cougars with 0.25 rebounds per minute. He is followed by Davies (0.22), Noah Hartsock (0.21), Miles (0.20), Jonathan Tavernari (0.19) and Jackson Emery (0.19). Abouo is also tied with Miles for third on the team with 32 offensive rebounds (Haws is first with 45 and Hartsock second with 44), despite playing only about half the minutes. Unlike some of his teammates, he is fearless on the boards.

6) Noticeably absent from this game: Jonathan Tavernari. After his emotional breakdown against New Mexico, JT missed his only shot and finished with zero points, two rebounds, one steal and two turnovers against the Utes. The Cougars ran all over Utah without him, but Tavernari is still an important part of BYU’s rotation. A large part of their post-season success will depend on whether or not he’s able to get (and keep) his head in the game.