Patrick Kinahan: Top-tier teams exposing BYU men's basketball flaws

PROVO — Harsh as it sounds seven weeks before the NCAA Tournament begins, the BYU basketball team may suffer a fate like that of Texas Tech football.

Bankrolled by super booster Cody Campbell, the Red Raiders were able to afford millions of dollars to stock last season's roster full of talent. Fresh off the program's best regular season since 2008, Texas Tech won its first Big 12 title and entered the 12-team college playoff with aspirations of winning the national championship.

Turns out, the goal was merely an unachievable dream. All that money couldn't even buy one touchdown in Texas Tech's playoff game as Miami humbled the Red Raiders in the Hurricanes' 23-0 win.

Fast forward to basketball season and it might be BYU's turn to experience not enough return on a massive investment. Much like Texas Tech football, which destroyed all but one team in Big 12 play, the Cougars will win most of its games in the bloated 16-team conference.

But beating the big dogs is another story. The Cougars can crush the likes of Arizona State and Utah — two teams buried at the bottom — but they've been exposed so far against two teams at the other end of the standings.

Playing the highest-profile game at the Marriott Center in coach Kevin Young's second season, nine days after losing to No. 11 Texas Tech by 13 points in Lubbock, BYU fell short against physically superior Arizona.

Give the Cougars credit for a frantic comeback that sliced a 19-point deficit to 1 point, but the outcome was still a disappointment considering all things.

The game was BYU's chance to shine before a national television audience on ESPN's "Big Monday" in a time slot that was devoid of any competition. Instead, the Wildcats controlled much of the game until the Cougars nearly pulled off a miracle.

At the same time, a close loss to a team capable of winning the national championship is not a disgrace. BYU was one of six ranked teams top-ranked Arizona has beaten this season.

As the calendar turns toward February, with plenty of time to improve, BYU doesn't look like a Final Four contender. For all the NIL money shelled out for AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright III, the roster has holes that show against better competition.

Like Texas Tech in football, the Cougars can get stagnant on offense in big games. For much of the game against Arizona, the offense consisted of Dybansta trying to single-handedly win the game.

One game after scoring a BYU freshman record 43 points against the Utes, Dybansta's one-on-one efforts weren't working on a night he was 6-of-24 from the field and missed five free throws. Hard to blame a top NBA draft pick for trying to take over, even if his shot selection sometimes is erratic.

Always the primary focus of all defensive strategy, Dybantsa never touched the ball during the possession in which BYU trailed by 1 point in the final seconds. Wright tried to barrel his way to the basket only to get his shot rejected.

Young correctly pointed out BYU will "ride or die" with Dybantsa and Wright, noting the latter hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat Clemson last month in Madison Square Garden. Unlike the 6-foot-9 Dybansta, Wright, who is generously listed at 6-foot-1, can get into the lane but often has trouble finishing around the basket.

Another issue is BYU's lack of size inside, a problem that shows up against powerful teams that often have a line of big men. With essentially only Keba Keita and newly acquired Abdullah Ahmed, who fouled out in only 10 minutes against Arizona, the lack of another big body is an obvious flaw in the roster.

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