BYU Cougars Hoping Third Time’s a Charm

All of the college basketball experts are questioning the Brigham Young Cougars chances to overcome the loss of their 3rd leading scorer and top rebounder. Based on what we’ve seen from BYU over the last few games, sustaining the same level of play and being competitive against the best teams in the country, looks to be long gone.

Brandon Davies was kicked off of the Cougars basketball team for violating BYU’s school policy in regards to pre-marital sex. While this not be illegal anywhere else in the country, it is a rule that has been put in place and is enforced in the Mormon community. All students of the school know what the rules of conduct are prior to stepping on campus, and that they are to be followed to the letter of the law. Davies mistake may very well cost the Cougars a high seed, and has put a tremendous black cloud over what had been one of the best seasons in this schools history.

What’s done is done, but now we will find out if Jimmer Fredette and company has what it takes to sustain the same level of competitiveness that led them to a 27-2 record and number 4 ranking prior to Davies suspension. Fredette is one of the most dynamic scorers in the country and is leading all of division 1 basketball in points per game. However, it’s becoming incredibly obvious that he can’t do it alone. A second loss to the New Mexico Lobos on March 2nd was a major sign of things to come. Yesterday’s first round match-up with a TCU squad that is 11-22 on the season and 1-15 in conference should be an even bigger indication that this team will struggle for the remainder of the year. They say winning cures all problems, but not when you’re listed as a 16 point favorite and only win by 6!

Friday’s second round game will be the 3rd meeting between BYU and New Mexico. Although the Cougars have just 3 losses on the season, two of them have come at the hands of the Lobos. Neither game was particularly close as New Mexico won by 9 and 18. Common sense would lead us all to believe that the Cougars will come out and play as they have double-revenge going for them, but with the loss of Davies it would be hard to see them getting past this under-rated and talented Lobos team.

The Lobos don’t receive a ton of attention because they play in the Mountain West, and have the Cougars looming over them. However, they’re overall stats can’t be ignored! They rank 58th in points per game, 66th in rebounding, 25th in assists and 50th in field goal percentage. For those who aren’t familiar with how many teams occupy division 1 basketball, those numbers are out of 346 teams.

The key for New Mexico is their depth. They don’t have just 1 player that other teams need to look out for. There are 4 players on the team that can light it up on any given night, and they have 6 players that pull down over 3 rebounds per game to help them on the defensive end. Dairese Gary leads the team with a 14.5 points per game average, but it’s Drew Gooden that makes the biggest overall impact on the floor. Gooden is averaging 12.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, and has the ability to take over the paint.

This is a much watch game just to see how the Cougars respond after an unexpected close call against TCU on Thursday. This has the potential to be a tremendous battle as Jimmer Fredette will do everything he can to give BYU some momentum heading into the NCAA tournament. Tune in!

Related posts:

1. Mountain West Top-25 Clash: BYU vs. San Diego St
2. Maaco Bowl Preview: BYU vs. Oregon St.
3. Keenum and Cougars look to gain Respect Thursday
4. Cougars & Aggies Battle in Friday Night Fight
5. Horned Frogs take on Improved BYU Offense

Comments