At this stage of the university basketball season, teams solidify their true identity as they enter the most important month of March.
Some numbers reveal a lot about this BYU basketball team.
With an 88-71 victory over Loyola Marymount Saturday afternoon at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, which is a margin that does not accurately reflect the Cougars’ dominance, BYU won its third consecutive away game. The total winning margin over the three outings was 90, averaging 30 points per game.
Saturday’s game was never close and BYU led by as many as 32 points (75-43) in the second half before a late 15-0 run by LMU made the final score look closer than in the Cougars’ last real game. of the season.
“We should have won by 30 tonight. No doubt in my mind, ”said Matt Haarms, senior senior. “We should have kept that lead. We have all the tools out there. We got speeding up and we made a lot of mistakes. We have good things to work on. ”
In addition, the Cougars once again showed their great depth. Saturday was the sixth consecutive game with another leading scorer. At LMU it was Haarms’ turn. The 7-foot-3 native of the Netherlands finished with 21 points, two rebounds, three assists and five stoppages.
Depth has been key for BYU as it tries to earn its first NCAA tournament since 2015.
“So many guys are making significant contributions,” coach Mark Pope said. ‘The guys are patient with the process and just believe enough that what we can do together is really special. It’s a lot more special than one of our guys can do individually. … The incredible depth of reward they get for sacrificing for their team, they are paid 100 times individually. … This is the core of who we are. ‘
BYU (17-5, 8-3) jumped on the Lions early with fronts of 13-2 and 28-11 and unleashed LMU’s winning streak of four games.
Yes, it was another team effort for the Cougars.
“At this point, everyone really accepted what they were doing best in this team. “Guys are not trying to find out where they fit into this team,” said Haarms. “Everyone really knows where they fit in and what they do best and what is expected of them from the coaching staff. This is really important for a team. We really know what we’re good at. All our players know their defined roles. I was in a team where it was one guy and everyone supported him. I feel like this team, it could be a different player every night. ”
Aside from Haarms, BYU enjoyed strong performances from Caleb Lohner, who followed up his career-high 19 points at the Pacific last Thursday with 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists before doubling.
“He does such an amazing job. I’m really proud of him. He is a man I have tried to mentor throughout the year, ‘Haarms said of Lohner. “There are things today that he can improve on. He conceded today and we can not have it in the tournament if we finally make it to the NCAA Tournament. He played a great game, but there is always take-away from which he can learn. He is already such a dominant player by now. I can not wait to see where he is two or three years from now. ”
Alex Barcello scored 15 points to pass along with five rebounds and three assistants. Brandon Averette added 14 points, five assists and some three-pointers.
Spencer Johnson and Trevin Knell both came off the bench to contribute eight points, and two three-pointers.
BYU shot 55% for the game, including 59% in the second half.
“It’s a team,” Pope said. Richard Harward is like, ‘I do not know how anyone explores us. ‘Obviously we need to get better, but at this stage of the season I’m so proud of this group. … These guys work hard and it’s really nice. ‘
LMU (11-7, 6-4) was led by Ivan Alipiev, who scored a match-high 22 points on 8 of 9 off the field, including 4 of 4 from the 3-point mark.
The Lions’ leading scorer, Eli Scott, scored 17 points, one of his season average. Keli Leaupepe finishes with 15.
BYU dominated LMU from the start and then did what it did in its last three road races.
“Getting this dominant lead early feels really good,” Haarms said. “Our guys did a great job of getting in here right away with energy. Everyone was ready to go. ”
More key numbers for BYU: After Saturday’s victory, BYU climbed nine places in KenPom to number 18, and the Cougars are ranked in the top 25 at national level in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
This team ‘got a really high ceiling’, Pope said. “We have not approached it yet.”
BYU is hosting San Francisco next Thursday.