Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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The BYU Cougars are one of the top five shooting teams in all of college basketball, with 51% accuracy on the season, having shot 50% or better from the field in 11 of 16 games played.
The New Mexico Lobos have held their opponents to 40% shooting or worse in four consecutive games, haven't allowed any opponent to shoot better than 47%, and haven't allowed an opponent to shoot 50% in 21 consecutive games.
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The lengthening of the three-point shot appears to have adversely affected the Lobos, who were 2nd nationally in three-point proficiency last season. In 2007-08, UNM hit on 42% of three-point attempts. This season, the Lobos are down a full four percentage points, to 38%.
BYU, meantime, has seen its three point accuracy actually increase despite the longer distance, improving from 37% last season, to 38% this season.
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The Lobos's Chad Toppert is the consummate one-trick pony. Of his 122 field goal attempts this season, 105 have been from beyond the arc. Not that the UNM coaches are complaining; Toppert is UNM's career 3-point percentage leader, at 45%.
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It's a rarity in college basketball: the team that shoots better on the road than at home. BYU is one such team this season--
Home: 50% fg, 37% 3pfg, 69% ft
Away/Neutral: 53% fg, 39% 3pfg, 74% ft
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Among starters, Lee Cummard's field goal percentage number is +9% on the road, Jonathan Tavernari is +5%, Jimmer Fredette is +2%, and Chris Miles is +15%. Only Jackson Emery sees a dip away from home, at -7% (to a still very respectable 50%).
Notably, BYU's points per game and scoring margin numbers remain consistent, home and away.
Home: 82.0 ppg, +18.3 margin
Away/Neutral: 80.3 ppg, +16.4 margin
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Perhaps the biggest difference between the 07-08 Cougars and the 08-09 team is BYU's ability to play as well or better away from home.
Last year, all of BYU's numbers dropped when the Cougars left the Marriott Center, and markedly so:
07-08 (Away/Neutral variance from Home)
FG%: -5%
3PFG%: -8%
FT%: even
PPG: -14.5 ppg
Scoring Margin: +19.0 home; + 3.4 away/neutral
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This season, a drop-off has been replaced by an up-tick:
08-09 (Away/Neutral Variance from Home)
FG%: +3%
3PFG%: +2%
FT%: +5%
PPG: -1.7 ppg
Scoring Margin: +18.3 home; +16.4 away/neutral
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Last year's BYU team had an acceptable 11-8 away/neutral record, but sometimes struggled to put teams away. This year's squad is already 6-1 in away/neutral games, and has shown a penchant for putting the hammer down in hostile environments. There is no environment more hostile than The Pit, and I'm excited to see the Cougars take their new-found road mentality into the belly of the mile-high beast Saturday afternoon.
Tune in for our broadcast starting wit pregame coverage at 1:00pm; the tip at 2.
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Thursday's post-practice interviews with Jimmer Fredette and Lamont Morgan remain in the "Cougar Cuts" box for today, FYI.
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Arizona State's James Harden scored a career-low 4 points in a road loss at USC last night. All four of his points came from the free throw line--he was 0/8 from the field.
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