vs. Utah State

[MikeWaters]

Rose made some adjustments in this game.

First, he went largely with a man defense. When Utah State went on their run at the end of the first half, Rose almost I think decided to abandon man. But he quickly went back to it. I think the danger he feared was Utah State's 3-point bombers. Personally, I like the move of going to man more often. I grew up in a system that was intensely about man to man. We never played zone. Outside of Syracuse, good teams don't play zone defense (in general).

Our going to zone is emblematic of the belief that our guys suck on D. Which they do of course. But man demands that they do better. BYU struggled with controlling penetration. Also really struggled on defending pick and rolls. These two things kept Utah State in the game.

The other adjustment Rose made was to give Bartley even more playing time. He impressed. His drive and dunk from the top of the key was my favorite play of the game. Bartley is aggressive and smart and skilled. He can drive effectively, he can hit open 3's. He can play defense and rebound. And he seems to have pretty good IQ. I like him a lot. Remember that kid Harrison we had from North Carolina. Couldn't shoot, wasn't high IQ. Transferred away. Bartley needs to improve his foul shooting.

And another adjustment was Rose moving Halford definitively above Anson Winder on the depth chart. I like Halford. He is scrappy. He is inventive around the basket and can finish. And I think he can be an effective shooter from the outside, although he hasn't really shown that yet. His hustle and style of play is going to make him a fan favorite.

I was pleased to see that Haws was not forcing his shot as much. He really hurt BYU in the losses with his poor shot selection when he was physically overmatched. Haws should get his shots in the flow of the offense.

Mika had a very nice game on the offensive side. Efficient in the post. You could tell that Mika and Austin were under strict orders to avoid fouls. So they didn't challenge as much. But overall this was a very good thing as it kept them on the floor and prevented us from having to go to Worthington, whom I don't think saw the floor this game.

Utah State is a talented team and should do well. So this is a good win that will help our RPI.

Carlino did well, but he still has these hero moments where he forces things too much. I think that's one common denominator on this team, that certain players feel like they have too much latitude. Haws and Carlino especially. BYU could benefit from a bit more discipline with shot selection.