BYU Basketball: Scrappy Dixie State Shows BYU Needs Work

Dixie State College out of St. George, Utah put a scare into BYU Cougar fans in Friday night’s exhibition game in the Marriott Center in Provo. 

BYU took almost two minutes and 30 seconds to dent the scoreboard, while Dixie exploded out to a 12-2 lead.  Watching BYU claw their way back into a game that should not have been close reminded the fans just how far this team has to go. 

Chris Collinsworth was all over the court, as the hard work he has put into his conditioning showed dramatically, and Noah Hartsock exercised his steady influence in crucial moments.  Brandon Davies showed some nifty moves around the basket, but much like last year, he got into foul trouble too early and too often.  Charles Abouo looked like he was wearing blinders, as he went 0-for-10 from the field and committed several boneheaded plays at critical junctures. 

After trailing most of the first half, BYU cut the lead to three in the form of a thunder dunk from Stephen Rogers with 3:40 left in first half, allowing BYU to take some momentum, and eventually a tenuous lead, into the half. 

BYU just never could put the Red Storm away, as the two teams traded leads for nearly the whole second half.  Brandon Davies, however, answered the bell in the last five minutes of the game, as he followed up a Zylstra miss with a resounding dunk. Minutes later, he made both free throws on an intentional foul call.  Stephen Rogers put the game out of reach with back-to-back threes that iced the game with a minute left to play.  BYU went 7-for-22 from three-point range but out-rebounded Dixie State 36-28.

Now for some updated predictions. 

BYU will lose multiple games this year because of free throws.  The past years have spoiled the
Cougar fanbase, and free throws have once again become a concern.

Brandon Davies will foul out of multiple games this year.  Davies shows flashes but lowers his shoulders on drives and moves his feet when he takes a charge.  This will cause problems.

Charles Abouo will realize that no one player is going to win games for this team.  Jimmer is gone.  Be a team.

BYU will score more points in the paint this year than in the four years Jimmer played, combined.  Once BYU realizes that they can’t shoot the three and that half of their roster is 6’7” or taller, they will start to work the ball in rather than shoot it from outside.

The amount of turnovers will decline dramatically once Matt Carlino is eligible.  While Brock Zylstra had a stellar game with 23 points, he is not a ball handler. Once the competition steps up a notch, Zylstra is going to struggle.