Story of the stats: BYU blows out Bellarmine
Are you getting a little bored of watching BYU basketball absolutely throttle teams on Marriott Center floor week after week? Me neither.
To keep you refreshed, this Cougar squad is now 11-1, ranked 4th in NET, 5th in KenPom, 2nd in scoring margin, 8th in total offense, 2nd in three-pointers per game, 13th in scoring defense, and a whole bunch of other stats I won’t continue to list.
Bottom line: they’re awesome. We’ve known this for a while know and yet it’s still just as impressive as it was on opening night. As always, here are some stats to make you love this team even more.
16/39: BYU’s three-point shooting tonight
Just the fact that the Cougars even chucked up 39 threes is impressive, but of course, they’ve already done it before this season. 16 for 39 is good enough for 41%, but once again isn’t even their best on the season.
This BYU team can shoot, and has decided to make their identity based on shooting from beyond the arc. The good news for BYU is that they haven’t shown any signs of stopping their hot-hands. The bad news is that when they don’t shoot well they struggle, which they haven’t only once this season: their lone loss.
30: The number of total assists for BYU tonight
30 marks the team high for the season. BYU leads the country in assist-to-turnover ratio, more than doubling their turnovers with assists. They are the only team in college basketball to be at that a mark. Two Cougars are also ranked in the top-10 in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio in Spencer Johnson and Aly Khalifa.
Mark Pope has his team sharing the ball and firing away at pretty much any given moment. It’s a clear-cut recipe for success in college basketball and like I said before, if they keep it up we’re going to see these Cougars dancing in March.
6: The number of BYU players in double figures tonight
BYU looks about as deep as the 2015 Kentucky Wildcats right now, and every night seems to post a different leading scorer. The Cougars are currently ranked in the top five in the country in bench scoring per game, posting over 40 a game. Tonight, it was a three-way tie between Johnson, Knell, and Saunders at 14.
Most notably off the bench tonight was Dawson Baker, who is finally being worked into the rotation after battling injury most of the off-season and early this season. With 10 points and gloriously floppy hair, Baker looked like the anticipated transfer Cougar fans were waiting for when he committed last summer. Evidently, he has also entered the running for my favorite player on the team.
26: Number BYU of fast-break points tonight
If it hasn’t been highlighted enough, BYU’s identity completely revolves around running up and down the floor and putting up shots. You’ll never guess where the Cougars rank in the country in fast-break points. That’s right, top-10 at over 17 a game.
This team is fast, they’re fun to watch, and they have been firing on every cylinder nearly every game this year. The age-old question of course is if they can just keep it up. With the team getting healthy and a masterclass in scheduling, the Cougars are set up to finish non-conference at 12-1 with their inaugural Big 12 season just around the corner.
Chase is the sports editor for The Daily Universe. Follow him on X: @chase_rogers0
