Adversity called and BYU basketball answered in 3 days at Big 12 Tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — There were no moral victories or excuses made by BYU men's basketball after Thursday night's 73-66 loss to fifth-ranked Houston in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 men's basketball tournament.

Houston flat-out beat BYU, which was playing its third game in three days, with a fresher lineup, a 37-30 rebounding margin that included 19 second-chance points, and a Herculean effort from freshman standout Kingston Flemings and his 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Call a spade a spade, to borrow a euphemism from head coach Kevin Young. BYU lost; Houston won; no ifs, ands, or buts.

And yet AJ Dybantsa and his Cougars accomplished as much in three days in Kansas City — to say nothing of an 82-76 win over then-No. 10 Texas Tech in the regular-season finale — as they have all year.

A season defined by redefinitions redefined itself once again, with five-star freshman Dybantsa and floor general Robert Wright III leading the way. Role players like Keba Keita, Dominique Diomande, Khadim Mboup, Kennard Davis Jr., and Aleksej Kostic have followed.

"I think it's just we found our identity as a team," Wright said after the game. "We've got role players stepping up, like Dom, Aleksej hitting big shots for us, playing great the last couple games. Just figuring out who we are as a team."

What does that new identity — one altered for at least a third time after Richie Saunders' ACL injury Feb. 14 against Colorado — look like? Or perhaps more importantly, can it lead BYU to an NCAA Tournament run that approaches last year's Sweet 16 appearance that was the program's first since 2011?

That's the hope, at least. BYU, like the rest of the country, will find out after Selection Sunday, when the final bracket for the field of 68 will be unveiled.

The Cougars (23-11) are projected as No. 6 seed, back up to the projection ESPN's Joe Lunardi had for the team before Saunders' season-ending injury.

Amid a three-game swoon of losses to UCF, West Virginia and Cincinnati, the bracketology report dropped, first to a seven — and with fears of much worse due to bracketing principles like BYU's policy of not playing games on Sunday.

But three straight wins during a four-game stretch in six days in March helped re-establish BYU's resume, and — perhaps more importantly — an identity as a team built around a potential No. 1 draft pick and a cast of role players.

"Everyone in the locker room is extremely competitive," Young said. "And we had some dark times, even recently. But we were able to push through it and just like there's always a way, just pound the rock.

"I've used every cliche in the coaching book, probably, in that space," he added. "It's been rewarding because you know when you go through adversity, it really does bring groups together. I think it's brought our group closer together."

That was Young's message to the locker room after Thursday's loss, a message that also came from the injured Saunders — now a staple on the team's bench while he recovers and occasionally makes late-night cookie runs with fellow senior Jared McGregor.

"Adversity brings teams together, and we feel like the past couple of games, we maybe found ourselves," said Keita, the team's leading rebounder who grabbed a game-high 13 against Houston. "I feel like we needed those first two games Tuesday and Wednesday as much as anybody.

"Tough loss tonight; Houston is a great team, and all credit to them. We feel like we can do better in some areas, and we trust in ourselves and the coaches so that we're going to find a way."

There was a stretch when BYU found its footing on a slippery glass floor against Houston: when Kostic hit back-to-back 3-pointers, Keita laid down a vicious block on Flemings, and Diomande threw down a hammer dunk en route to a 41-37 halftime lead.

"That was BYU basketball right there," Keita said. "We were sharing the ball, get a stop, I do my thing and the guards do their thing — and we get out and make energy plays. Guys like Dom, like Khadim, they hype you up coming off the bench.

"Those energy plays were the reason we kind of got on a run. It's definitely something to learn from."

If nothing else, the past week in Kansas City taught BYU — Dybantsa, Wright and the rest of the roster — a lesson in resilience.

Specifically, that this team has it.

"We're going to persevere to the end," Dybantsa said. "A lot of teams would've folded in our position, even in Game 2 against West Virginia when they put up a fight. A lot of teams would've folded. But we're resilient, and we're going to persevere."

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