Report on the TCU game - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

MikeWaters · 02-11-2007, 12:26 PM

1. Not as many total fans as last year.

2. Not as many BYU fans as last year.

3. Crowd on both sides was pretty sedate.

4. Best player on the team, by a mile, is Keena Young. He is the only effective go-to scorer on the team. And that's something previous teams have lacked.

5. 2nd best player is Cummard. He is not very aggressive on the offensive end. He needs to work on that.

6. Plaisted is only the 3rd best player. The only difference between Plaisted this year and last year is he has developed that move to the middle, that soft hook, which he shoots reasonably well, with either hand. The reason he was ineffective against TCU (besides foul trouble) was that he couldn't get position on the block. He was often posting 5 to 6 feet away from the block, because he wasn't strong enough to get position. Alternatively on the other side of the ball the TCU big guy was right on the block almost everytime. Plaisted wasn't strong enough to get him out. I'm not impressed with Plaisted's basketball IQ. I really do think BYU fans have overestimated his ability.

7. Ivanovic stinks. He is the pillsbury doughboy. He is not a competent backup to Plaisted. What a disappointment. He has not lived up to the hype.

8. I was complaining under my breath that Rose wasn't going to MacGregor, who had shown previous flashes of brilliance. Mac did get some 2nd half playing time, and was so-so. I think MacGregor has more upside than Ivanovic.

9. Balderson. What good is 2 who can't shoot very well consistently? He's a guy that really hasn't improved his game with time.

10. I like Ainge, and I was on his bandwagon since the UCLA game. He's not flashy, he doesn't score much. But he plays within his game, and doesn't turn the ball over much. We'll miss him.

11. Tavernari played well. He's very efficient on the court. He moves very deliberately and with purpose. It looks like he's getting away playing half-speed. This is actually a compliment. I think it is part of his poise and basketball IQ. He knows what to do and he does it, and he doesn't waste energy. He has a great looking shot.

12. I wasn't very impressed with Rose's substitution patterns. It almost felt like he was trying to not drive the stake through TCU's heart

13. This team did better with Plaisted on the bench, and the offense going through Keena.

14. Overally it's hard for me to tell how good this team is. Obviously TCU is not a very good team. I get the feeling that an 8th seed is not deserved. But maybe this is the result of never remembering BYU winning a NCAA game and recognizing this team is basically the same personnel as last year, and I don't really know their mettle yet, and that they have struggled in recent history away from the MC.

02-11-2007, 12:26 PM	#1
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	Report on the TCU game 1. Not as many total fans as last year. 2. Not as many BYU fans as last year. 3. Crowd on both sides was pretty sedate. 4. Best player on the team, by a mile, is Keena Young. He is the only effective go-to scorer on the team. And that's something previous teams have lacked. 5. 2nd best player is Cummard. He is not very aggressive on the offensive end. He needs to work on that. 6. Plaisted is only the 3rd best player. The only difference between Plaisted this year and last year is he has developed that move to the middle, that soft hook, which he shoots reasonably well, with either hand. The reason he was ineffective against TCU (besides foul trouble) was that he couldn't get position on the block. He was often posting 5 to 6 feet away from the block, because he wasn't strong enough to get position. Alternatively on the other side of the ball the TCU big guy was right on the block almost everytime. Plaisted wasn't strong enough to get him out. I'm not impressed with Plaisted's basketball IQ. I really do think BYU fans have overestimated his ability. 7. Ivanovic stinks. He is the pillsbury doughboy. He is not a competent backup to Plaisted. What a disappointment. He has not lived up to the hype. 8. I was complaining under my breath that Rose wasn't going to MacGregor, who had shown previous flashes of brilliance. Mac did get some 2nd half playing time, and was so-so. I think MacGregor has more upside than Ivanovic. 9. Balderson. What good is 2 who can't shoot very well consistently? He's a guy that really hasn't improved his game with time. 10. I like Ainge, and I was on his bandwagon since the UCLA game. He's not flashy, he doesn't score much. But he plays within his game, and doesn't turn the ball over much. We'll miss him. 11. Tavernari played well. He's very efficient on the court. He moves very deliberately and with purpose. It looks like he's getting away playing half-speed. This is actually a compliment. I think it is part of his poise and basketball IQ. He knows what to do and he does it, and he doesn't waste energy. He has a great looking shot. 12. I wasn't very impressed with Rose's substitution patterns. It almost felt like he was trying to not drive the stake through TCU's heart 13. This team did better with Plaisted on the bench, and the offense going through Keena. 14. Overally it's hard for me to tell how good this team is. Obviously TCU is not a very good team. I get the feeling that an 8th seed is not deserved. But maybe this is the result of never remembering BYU winning a NCAA game and recognizing this team is basically the same personnel as last year, and I don't really know their mettle yet, and that they have struggled in recent history away from the MC.