BYU Cougars Finish Exhibition Season With Easy Win

Brigham Young University's men's basketball team has just ended exhibition play with another easy win.  This time the victim was a little NAIA school, Georgetown College.  No this isn't John Thompson's Hoyas—no, this team is the Georgetown Tigers.

Saturday this same Georgetown squad kept within shouting distance of the Louisville Cardinals.  Dave Rose and staff were hoping this scrappy team would give the Cougars a good test.

At the end of 12 minutes, BYU found itself up only 19-17, but then the Cougars turned it on with a 18-4 run that lasted late into the first half.  Up by 20 or more the rest of the game, BYU cruised to a final 80-53 win.

Much of the final 10 minutes were Rose experimenting with different lineups, but mostly with younger players.  Some of the younger talent that demonstrated future potential, included freshman Charles Abouo with 11 points.  Abouo had the crowd excited after several nice plays to the rim.  The nicest was a breakaway dunk after a nifty steal.

Emery Jackson didn't display much rust from his LDS mission.  Hitting four of six three-point shots, Emery looks like he's matured not only off the court but is quickly fitting into Dave Rose's system.

Another interesting set of players to watch was the big men.  Chris Miles showed a nice defensive presence inside with six blocks.  He may not be the offensive threat that Trent Plaisted has been, but he does bring a solid defensive effort and is good on the boards.

It was also nice to see Anderson and McGregor spell Miles with solid minutes throughout the game.  McGregor still has an ugly shot, but his defensive skills will be needed down the stretch in Mountain West play.

I'm sure the Georgetown coach was hoping that they'd be more competitive, especially after giving Louisville a mild scare this last weekend.  But if it's any solace, not many teams have been able to keep up with BYU on their home court.

This BYU team looks deeper, and returning players understand their role within the Dave Rose system.  I'm not surprised that expectations are high for this season.  Anything less than another NCAA invite would be a disappointment.