After a sluggish offensive game in the first half Saturday night at the Marriott Center, BYU led 28-23 against the Cincinnati Bearcats, and the Cougars were in need of another offensive onslaught, similar to what they gave Colorado on Tuesday night.
BYU guard Richie Saunders led the charge in the second half, shooting 7 of 15 from the field, and was a blistering hot 5 of 7 from 3. He led the Cougars with 21 points and guided BYU to an 80-52 win. For Saunders, 16 of his 21 points came in the second half when BYU needed him the most.
What made his performance impressive against the Bearcats was the degree of difficulty he faced. In the past, Saunders has shot most of his 3s spotting up, but against Cincinnati, it was coming off of screens, dribble handoffs, and pull-ups. Saunders entered conference play as the glue guy and now is BYU's go-to scorer. When the Cougars need someone to get them a bucket, Saunders is often their first option.
The key to Saunders' success is how fast he makes decisions in Kevin Young's offense. Young's coaching roots on offense come from Monty Williams and Brett Brown, two Greg Popovich disciples who have preached the importance of 0.5-second basketball or "point five" basketball for years.
" I mean, coach, he's trying to put it in our heads every day about the idea of playing point five, as we call it," said Egor Demin. "So we have like a half a second to make a decision. Either you shoot it, or you drive, or pass. So, yeah, I mean, this is something we're talking about every day. Trying to improve our pace. Not just running on the fast breaks, but pace in the half court."
Playing a point-five offense does not necessarily mean playing in transition but getting the ball up the floor quickly does help (BYU only scored three total fastbreak points against Cincinnati). It does mean that every player is decisive and aggressive when they catch the ball, constantly putting pressure on the defense throughout the entire shot clock.
" I think Richie is a prime example of that," said Young. "Obviously, he gets his shot off so quick, but just those quick rip and goes, you know, it's hard to stay in front of that."
Saunders has always played that way since he came to BYU. He never second-guesses a decision and is always in attack mode. He was a perfect fit in this offense the moment Young stepped foot on campus. However, catching up to his point-five speed has taken a while for many of his teammates.
The point-five mentality had been missing in BYU's offense collectively for most of Big 12 play. Even when BYU was scoring, it felt like every basket was a struggle. However, in their last two games, it appears Young's point-five message has sunk in.
"I think Egor is figuring it out, I think Dallin is figuring it out. Even Trevin is getting run off the line, and he's putting it on the deck," said Young. "So I do think the message is, you know, getting across there."
Against Colorado in the second half, BYU showcased what point-five basketball is supposed to look like. Against Cincinnati, the Cougars did the same thing in the second half, which led to one of the best shooting halves of basketball ever seen in Provo. The Cougars shot 11 of 15 from 3 in the second half, leaving the Bearcats flabbergasted.
" I don't know if I've ever coached a game where somebody went 11-for-15 from 3 on a team in a half," said Cincinnati head coach Wes Miller. "I don't know if I've ever been a part of that."
The 11-15 from 3 result and 17 of 23 from the field overall in the second half is an amazing performance against Mississippi Valley State, let alone 14th best defense in the country, according to Kenpom. What BYU did against Cincinnati never happens to the Bearcats.
BYU's struggles on offense have been apparent in the Big 12 and were a big reason why the Cougars started conference play 2-4. BYU needed the offense to improve, and it did, leading to a two-game win streak to get BYU back to a 4-4 record in the Big 12. The main reason why?
BYU has played point-five basketball semi-consistently for the first time in Big 12 play. And when teams play point-five basketball consistently, it is contagious.
" Yeah, I agree. I think it's been received extremely well," said Young when asked about his team's point-five mentality. "I think guys are seeing and reaping the benefits from playing that way."
BYU is still a long way away from playing point-five basketball for a full 40 minutes of basketball. But the Cougars have been more consistent over the past two games, and the results have been eye-opening.
A 39-6 run against Colorado to win convincingly was the one sign, and a 52-point second-half offensive barrage that left the Bearcats flummoxed was another sign that things are trending in the right direction offensively in Provo.