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PROVO — Perhaps no player showcased the growth of the BYU men's basketball team four games into Big 12 play than Dallin Hall.
The sophomore from Fremont High scored 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting (with three 3-pointers) and eight assists in the 20th-ranked Cougars' 87-72 win over 24th-ranked Iowa State, and he wasn't anywhere near the team's leading scorer.
That would be Spencer Johnson's career-high 28 points, four 3-pointers, nine rebounds and five assists. He was followed by 18 points and a 7-of-8 mark from the free-throw line from Noah Waterman, or 15 points from Jaxson Robinson in his first start of the year.
But Hall's 35 minutes in a game that did not feature Trevin Knell (foot) and Fousseyni Traore (hamstring) were about as big as they come. Hall's 11 points marked the third time in four games he's scored in double figures, going back to 10 points in a 71-60 loss to Cincinnati in the conference opener Jan. 6.
But his efficiency was key.
Against the Bearcats, it took the Plain City product 13 shots to reach 10 points (he made three of them, including two 3-pointers). Hall followed it up with 13 points in an 81-72 loss to Baylor, but shot 5-of-9 from the field and 1-of-3 from deep.
In the Cougars' slump-busting 63-58 win at UCF, Hall managed just 3 points on 1-of-3 shooting while missing his only 3-point attempt (he also finished with six assists).
But against the Cyclones, Halls' decision-making was critical. The sophomore who initially committed to BYU thinking he would play in the West Coast Conference after a mission to Fresno, California, finished with eight assists to three turnovers — and two steals to help make up for it — on a team that assisted on 21-of-27 made field goals.
"Dallin Hall's numbers might not leap out at you on the page, but that dude took a massive step forward as a point guard," BYU coach Mark Pope said. "We talk about point guards in three different ways: Good point guards in college run a player, really good point guards read the defense, and elite-level point guards move all the pieces on the chessboard where they want to get what they want.
"For the first time tonight, I thought there were a lot of possessions where he knew exactly the pieces he has to work with, and he manipulated it exactly the right way," Pope added. "It was really special. ... It's probably been a while since we had a point guard put a performance like that on the board."
In a Big 12 Conference commonly called the top basketball conference in the country, with eight teams in the Associated Press Top 25, nine teams in the top 30 in KenPom (including No. 9 BYU), and 10 teams in the NET's top 60 (including No. 5 BYU), BYU was woefully unprepared to start conference play.
The Cougars were outrebounded 45-36 by Cincinnati, out-shot 10-9 from 3-point range by a Baylor team that forced 14 turnovers including seven steals, and even out-rebounded 44-38 with a 17-6 deficit on the offensive glass by UCF.
But in the ultimate what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league that is the Big 12, the most important concept for a BYU program picked to finish 13th by the league's 14 head coaches is simple: get better, and learn from it.
In Tuesday's win over an Iowa State team only a week removed from handing No. 5 Houston its first loss of the year, the Cougars showed how they've improved — as well as what still needs work — with a 36-34 rebounding edge, a 21-to-11 assist-to-turnover ratio, and 21 fast-break points.
"There's nothing like this... it's the best league in the world" - @TyHaliburton22
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) January 17, 2024
You heard it from the man 🗣️@CycloneMBB x @Pacerspic.twitter.com/9wD3VTH0HL
"All the credit goes to them tonight. They did a great job," Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. "We want to try to be the more physical team and dictate things defensively; that didn't happen. They were able to get it out fast and push the ball in transition. They played with great pace, they shared the ball, and played for one another.
"We take a lot of pride on the defensive side of the floor, and we'd been really good in that area up until tonight. But again, credit goes to them; they did a great job in preparation, and they handled it well."
It doesn't get any easier. In a conference where Kansas State stunned No. 9 Baylor 68-64 in overtime and Cincinnati beat No. 19 TCU 81-77, every night can be a chore.
For the Cougars, Tuesday's win is now in the past as the team prepares for a weekend road trip to No. 25 Texas Tech, which plays at Houston (14-2, 1-2 Big 12) Wednesday night. The Red Raiders (14-2, 3-0 Big 12) haven't lost at home since ending last season on a four-game losing skid.
It's the first time BYU will face back-to-back ranked opponents in conference play since February 1997 (No. 13 New Mexico, No. 5 Utah). The Cougars haven't faced three straight top-25 opponents since the 1981 NCAA Tournament (No. 10 UCLA, No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 5 Virginia).
Welcome to the Big 12.
"These guys are really impressive," Pope said of his squad. "And I say that because this Iowa State team is really good; they just manhandled Houston. It's the nature of the league, and I'm proud of these guys' togetherness, of their fight, and of their belief.
"I thought that if I could encapsulate one thing from tonight, it was our guys' poise and confidence, and their refusal to second-guess their decisions in real time. I thought it was extraordinary tonight against this pressure."
