In the last game between the BYU men’s basketball team and the University of San Francisco, the Cougars drained a host of 3-pointers and shot more than 50 percent from the field as they cruised to an easy 25-point win in the Marriott Center.
On Thursday, the Cougars will travel to play the Dons, a much different team from the one BYU blew out in January. The Dons have won seven of their last 10 games, and have lost just two games at home all season. Combining the recent surge with the fact the Cougars have never won at USF, BYU will need to shoot about as well this time around, along with playing its trademark defense, to get the win.
“They’re a completely different team than what we saw when they played here as far as their confidence level and their execution offensively,” BYU head coach Dave Rose said. “They’re really comfortable in how they’re playing. I look forward to the contest.”
In the game between the two in January, the Cougars shot almost 65 percent from beyond the arc, including a record-tying 6-for-6 from junior guard Brock Zylstra. [easyembed field=”Vimeo”]
Soon afterward, the Cougars fell into a six-game slump from 3-point range, but were able to regain their shooting touch in their last game, against Pepperdine.
“It felt good to finally get the lid off the rim,” freshman guard Anson Winder said. “We hit some shots and it gave us some confidence for the rest of the game.”
The Cougars (21-6, 9-3 West Coast Conference) come into the game with their balance of four players sporting double figure scoring averages. Junior forward Brandon Davies averages 17.8 points and 9.1 rebounds per game, and senior forward Noah Hartsock is contributing 16.6 points per game. Freshman guard Matt Carlino and senior forward Charles Abouo are averaging 11.5 and 10.4 points per game, respectively.
“I think it has a lot to do with understanding the system and knowing your place,” Hartsock said. “The team has done a great job of playing together and helping everyone out.”
The Dons (17-10, 7-6) come into the game with similar balance, as four of their players also average double figures. Senior forward Angelo Caloiaro averages 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Junior forward Perris Blackwell contributes 12.4 points, and senior guard Rashad Green and junior guard Michael Williams add 11.6 and 11 per game. It was Williams who led the Dons with 10 points against the Cougars in their last outing.
“They can really score the ball from a lot of different spots,” Rose said. “The way they guard defensively gives us some things we’re going to have to do to make adjustments. They really penetrate the ball well and kick it for open shots. All five guys on the floor can shoot.”
Defensively, the Cougars have been forcing an average of 21 turnovers over the last three games, while forcing an average of 13.8 steals per game. In the Dons-Cougars game in January, BYU committed more turnovers than it caused, and it will look to flip those statistics in this game.
“It’s good to stop a guy from scoring, because that helps the team too, especially if we really need a bucket or get a stop,” Winder said. “I take pride in helping the team get a stop.”
The game will tip off at 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNU.
