BYU: Carlino's 2 halves vs. Huskies a microcosm of Cougars' season


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SALT LAKE CITY — I was talking to my brother-in-law before the BYU-Washington NIT game. He expressed his concern about the consistency — or lack thereof — of point guard Matt Carlino this season. I agreed that there were a number of games in which he has had subpar performances. On the flip side, he has been stellar in a number of games — sometimes winning the contest for the Cougars. Looking back through the season stats shows that Carlino's good-to-great games have almost doubled his poor-to-bad performances.

First, here are the Carlino high points from the 2012-13 season. He keyed a come-from-behind victory over Utah, shooting 7-13 from the field and 5-10 from 3-point range for 19 points. Against Loyola Marymount he had 7-15 shooting, 4-8 3-point shooting, nine rebounds and 21 points. In a USF away game win, he had four assists, seven rebounds and 22 points. In a home victory over Pepperdine, he was 3-4 from the 3-point line with four rebounds, four assists and zero turnovers. In the tough Santa Clara road victory, he had five rebounds, eight assists and no turnovers. He also had zero turnovers and six assists in a win over San Diego at home.

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In the first Portland win, Carlino had 24 points, went 2-2 from 3 and had six assists. Against Pepperdine, he confirmed BYU coach Dave Rose's confidence in him with a crucial 3-pointer to seal the win on the road. Against Santa Clara at home, he was 3-6 from the 3-point line, 5-5 on free throws, and scored 28 points. In the second win against Portland, he was 4-6 from the field and had seven assists.

He had one "high-low" game win, as he went 4-6 from the field and 2-3 on 3-pointers with seven assists but nine turnovers in the second win over LMU.

Now for the Carlino low points this year. They started quickly, as in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y. Against Florida State and Notre Dame, Carlino was a combined 1-14 from the field and 0-8 from the 3-point line. In the heartbreaking loss to St. Mary's he actually shot pretty well (6-10 from the field) and had four rebounds and five assists. But his six turnovers were crucial. At Gonzaga, Carlino going 4-11 from the field with four turnovers did not help the Cougars in a losing cause. In a loss at San Diego, he was 4-14 from the field and had five turnovers. In a tough battle and loss at St. Mary's he was 1-5 from the field with five turnovers.

BYU's Matt Carlino dribbles away from Washington's Abdul Gaddy as BYU and Washington play in the first round of the NIT in the Marriott Center at BYU. (Scott G. Winterton/Deseret News)
BYU's Matt Carlino dribbles away from Washington's Abdul Gaddy as BYU and Washington play in the first round of the NIT in the Marriott Center at BYU. (Scott G. Winterton/Deseret News)

The Washington game last week was certainly a redemptive one for Carlino, and showed what a great spark he can be, not only in scoring, but in dishing to his teammates. It is a good sign of what BYU may have in store for the next two years. It is true that for much of the year, Tyler Haws and Brandon Davies represented a consistent Big Two for the team. But as you can see by the game stats, when Carlino was on his game, there was definitely a Big Three. Monday night against Mercer, Carlino continued his effective play with 18 points, nine assists and six assists with only three turnovers in 34 minutes of play.

Carlino shot 6-13 from the field and 5-10 from behind the 3-point line as the Cougars handily defeated the Bears 90-71.

Here's hoping for more Carlino high points before the season comes to an end beginning with Southern Miss on Wednesday. If there are, it will be redemption in New York City, where the season began.

Ken Driggs of Mesa, Ariz., is a BYU graduate and served as Cosmo in the '60s. Contact at kkdriggs@gmail.com

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