By AARON SHILL
aaron@du2.byu.edu
After watching its fourth straight road game slip away on Tuesday, the BYU men's basketball team is glad to be home for this weekend's Cougar Classic. The Cougars' only wins this season have come at the Marriott Center, translating into a slow 2-5 start.
But while the company for this weekend's tournament does not include a group the caliber of Arizona or Oregon, the teams BYU will be hosting aren't pushovers either.
According to head coach Steve Cleveland, a spot for BYU in Saturday's championship game is not a foregone conclusion. Tonight's opponent Louisiana Tech may be the best team in the tournament, Cleveland said.
'Sometimes people think when you have a tournament, you play a weak team to start the thing off so you can get in the finals,' the second year coach said. 'That's not the case here.'
The Cougars will tip off the game with their Sun Belt Conference foe at 7:30 at the Marriott Center. While the team does not feature a front line made up of players like former Bulldogs Karl Malone and P.J. Brown, Louisiana Tech has plenty of scorers.
The 4-1 Bulldogs are led by senior Lonnie Cooper, a six-foot-five guard who can post impressive numbers all the way down the stat sheet. Last year, Cooper averaged 17 points while pulling down 4.4 rebounds and dishing out 5.2 assists per game.
The good news for the Cougars, however, is that BYU matches up well with the Bulldogs in terms of size. Louisiana Tech has used a three-guard lineup this year with juniors Derek Smith and Omar Cooper filling up the backcourt.
BYU will have to adjust to 6-foot-9-inch forward Kendrick Spruel, whose game extends well back on the perimeter. Spruel has led the team in scoring twice so far this season, including a 27-point performance against Texas Pan American.
'They'll be as good of a test as we've had,' Cleveland said.
Fortunately for the Cougars, this weekend's games will also be a test for center Bret Jepsen, who will return to the lineup after missing three games with a third-degree concussion. The 6-foot-11-inch junior is two weeks out of shape but will start, Cleveland said.
'He just needs to play,' Cleveland said. 'I think the worst thing that we can do is be tentative and try to protect him.'
Jepsen's injury was the result of a well-publicized elbow from Arizona forward Eugene Edgerson. But according to Cleveland, the incident should not mentally deter BYU's big man.
'What happened was not a basketball related incident,' Cleveland said. 'It wasn't like he turned his ankle or twisted a knee. He got hit by a cheap shot, and the bottom line is, that's not going to happen again.'
BYU will need Jepsen's size if the Cougars happen to be paired with Cal State Northridge on Saturday night. The 5-2 Matadors are led in the scoring column by two 6-foot-9-inch front court players in center Brian Heinle and forward Rico Harris.
The final team in the Cougar Classic is Southern Utah. The Thunderbirds could have their best team in five years, Cleveland said.