BYU basketball is officially back in action.
The Cougars opened year three of the Kevin Young era with an exhibition Friday against a defending Sweet 16 team in Nebraska, beating the Cornuskers 72-61 at the Marriott Center.
BYU will play another exhibition at UNLV on Oct. 24 before opening the regular season against Ohio State on Nov. 3 in Salt Lake City.
3 takeaways
BYU let the 3 points fly. “3-YU” is back in full force, with the Cougars attempting 36 shots from beyond the arc against Nebraska.
Efficiency could be improved, as BYU shot just 3 of 19 (16%) from deep in the first half and a collective 28% on the night.
But the Cougars still made 10 triples in total, and the fact that nine different players attempted 3s — and four different players made more than one — is promising for the depth and potential of BYU’s perimeter operation.
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The starting five carried most of the scoring load for the Cougars, providing 63 of 71 total points and 15 of 18 assists.
Collin Chandler led all scorers with 19 points, while Rob Wright III added 17 points, five rebounds and seven assists.
Jaxon Kohler notched a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds (including a pair of 3-pointers), while Bruce Branch III recorded an impressive college debut of 15 points (including three made triples), six rebounds and five assists.
BYU dominated in rushing statistics. How to overcome a night of shooting at 41%? By being as opportunistic as possible.
You can tell a lot about a team by its production of second-chance points, points off turnovers and offensive rebounds – and in that regard, the Cougars made quite a statement on Friday.
BYU grabbed 15 offensive rebounds, scored 15 second-chance points and turned 18 Nebraska turnovers into 21 points. Conversely, the Cornhuskers only managed nine, 11 and seven in each respective category.
There’s a lot to like about BYU’s defensive efforts. Bad defense played a major role in dooming the Cougars a year ago, and the current group seems motivated to prevent that from happening again.
BYU forced 18 turnovers and held the Huskers to less than a point per possession, with Chandler, Brooks Bahr and Tyler Betsey each coming up with multiple steals.
But it was the eye exam that stood out the most from Friday. It didn’t take long to see that the Cougars’ hustle, energy and overall desire on defense are light years ahead of what they showed last season, and if such a trend continues in the regular season, BYU should be able to make some noise in the Big 12 and beyond.
Gn sports
