Estimated read time: 8-9 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
"We need time, and we don't really have time."
Those were the words of BYU head coach Dave Rose after his team's 82-64 home loss to New Mexico on Wednesday night--a night after the Cougars learned they would play the remainder of the season without one of their most important players.
*******
The Brandon Davies' suspension wasn't the sole reason for BYU's setback, but Rose says it "compounded" the damage in a game BYU never led. The Lobos got out to a 13-2 lead and led most of the game by double digits.
"We've already got players who are trying to give a little bit more, play a little bit harder to make up for a lost player," said Rose on KSL Radio during our postgame coach's show. "You've got guys who want to step up; they're competitive guys. Then you add the fact that we got down early, and the combination led us to a game where we were all trying to do too much ourselves and note relying on each other as much as we needed to."
*******
The loss was a fourth consecutive to New Mexico and a fifth in the last six outings. BYU has lost only two of its last 35 home games; both to the Lobos.
*******
#ncaab
While BYU recorded a season-worst home shooting percentage (33.9%) and a season-worst 3pfg percentage in all games (19.2%), Davies' absence was the over-arching storyline.
Davies' double-figure scoring was sorely missed, as James Anderson and Noah Hartsock combined to go two-for-seven from the field for a total of four points. Davies' presence as the team's leading rebounder was noted in the Cougars' second-lowest rebound tally of the season, with UNM grabbing 45 caroms, to BYU's 29.
Clearly, lack of confidence in the inside game led BYU players to throw up shots they might not normally consider, as the three-point number plummeted throughout the night.
More than the physical and tactical impact of Davies' departure was the obvious mental toll the news had taken on the team. Davies has missed stretches of games in foul trouble before, but never before did I feel the Cougars were lost with Davies on the bench. Last night, for at least one night, I thought I was watching a different group of guys.
*******
Rose told us that "it was a night of us trying to find ourselves out there." How soon the Cougars re-discover their identity will determine just how much of of BYU's postseason potential can be salvaged.
"We've got a lot of things going good for us; we've just to look to those and get better, and play better on Saturday," said Rose. "We'll figure it out. The most important thing now is to get into the heads of our players that we're in a terrific spot."
*******
Video Courtesy of KSL.com
BYU is now 27-3 on the season and 13-2 in the Mountain West Conference, tied for the league lead with San Diego State. A chance to win the conference crown outright most likely slipped away last night, with only a win over Wyoming or an SDSU loss to CSU now needed to secure a share of the title.
"We're playing for a conference championship on Saturday, for a #1 seed in the Mountain West Tournament, and those are the good things," Rose said. "We've won 27 games with a chance for 28 and we have to get a point where that is really exciting for us again."
"With the news of the last couple of days, it's hard to see the good in what we need to do now, especially after you get beat. We'll have to find that inside of us and go forward."
*******
Perhaps I was overly optimistic about the Cougars' ability to rally in such a short period of time, with the way in which BYU was dismantled by a sub-.500 MWC team serving as a stark reminder of the tenuous nature of team chemistry.
The Cougars may have lost only 11.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, but they lost their inside swagger, and there isn't a player on the roster who can replace it.
BYU's offensive game plan is predicated on making teams pay for giving Jimmer Fredette and the guard line too much attention. Davies was always a considerable post threat, and one of the best and most athletic inside presences in the league; his absence has eliminated the element of respect that opponents had to give BYU's inside game.
On many other teams, Davies could command a consistent double team, yet opponents were hesitant to commit more than one player to him, because no one wants to leave Fredette or Jackson Emery with room to operate outside. Man-on-man, Davies was a tough guard, and the perfect complement to BYU's guards/wings.
*******
It was only one loss, and only time will tell whether it was a harbinger of tougher days ahead or an understandable defeat that results in better efforts moving forward.
Yet, the tangible sense of loss is what permeates the atmosphere in the wake of the last 48 hours. Loss of a player, loss of a game, and for many, the loss of a hope that this season really was going to be BYU's "One Shining Moment."
Two days ago, a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament was not only a possibility, it was a probability. Today, that opportunity most likely no longer exists. Two days ago, all national observers could talk about was BYU and its national ranking, the Cougars and their Final Four potential, Jimmer Fredette as the national player of the year. Today, BYU is still a national buzzword, but now the discussion is about code and consequence, about dreams dashed, and for many, it is a chance to mock and discredit.
There are those in the media who have portrayed the events of the last couple of days in a light that highlights BYU's very best qualities, and those of its student-athletes. In many ways, the news of the week has allowed people to see more of what the school is really all about, and what is not about; it's an important message about honor and integrity, and one that should be shared.
*******
At the same time, it's the first week of March. Postseason tournaments are now underway. The Cougars head to Vegas next week. Selection Sunday is in ten days. BYU was poised to turn the next number of weeks into a joyous journey.
Instead, regardless of what lies ahead, the specter of the Davies' suspension will hang over the team and the program. In victory or defeat, the questions will continue, and the challenge will remain. I already applaud the collective effort it will take to succeed in the weeks ahead.
*******
The biggest disappointment of all is that it comes now--after the Cougars have crafted perhaps the best season in BYU history, step by step.
November was all about grinders, nail-biters and buzzer-beaters, about finding a way to win when the team was still developing a personality.
December was a month of so many miles, and two East Coast trips including one for Jimmer Fredette's Glens Falls homecoming. The nation began to sense that something special might be happening with the kid from upstate New York.
January was when Jimmermania was born. Fredette and the Cougars exploded onto the national stage, and stars were born.
February was when BYU proved its Mountain West mettle, rolling through the league without a loss in the entire month, with last Saturday's win setting up the possibility that Selection Sunday would give BYU an unprecedented chance to go farther than it ever had before in the NCAA Tournament. As the month ended, the sky was the limit.
Now it is March. And the month of madness has begun with sadness.
*******
While the closing chapter is off to an uncertain start, the story of this year's team has still yet to be written.
The Cougars will take these coming days to re-group, the fans will honor the seniors on Saturday, the coaches and players will hopefully cut down some nets, and it will be off to the conference tournament, in all likelihood as the top seed. A second season will begin with BYU seeking to re-state its case for a sustained postseason run.
Regardless of the length of that run, it has been an amazing ride to get to this point. Whether the ultimate reward will match the season-long effort still remains to be seen, but the possibility of a resurgence has to be the sustaining sentiment.
This team still features some of the best players in the league, and a singular player who stands as the best in the country. The coaching staff will work tirelessly to structure winning game plans. The season is definitely not over, and I anticipate the unique environment of tournament play to serve as even more of a refiner's fire.
BYU did not go from a great team to a poor team overnight; give this team some time, and let's see how they perform once the initial shock of this week has worn off and they can figure out how they want to play moving forward.
*******
In recent days, before this week's news, I have told many people that I tried to appreciate the moments of the season as they were happening, and not take the success of the team for granted. The events of the last 48 hours have brought a renewed recognition of just how remarkable it was for BYU to win 27 times in 29 games, while we watched the best player in college basketball do amazing things.
We BYU supporters believe that the best is always yet to come, and we all sincerely hope that will be the case in the weeks ahead. Sports' and life's most hurtful disappointments are when you believe the best to have passed you by.
*******
