PROVO — Sandwiched between a gut-punch loss at San Francisco and a challenging pair of home games this weekend, BYU held a spirited practice Wednesday as it continued to try to shore up its weaknesses, particularly on the defensive end.
The Cougars, who fell 83-82 last Saturday at San Francisco after squandering a 14-point second half lead, host Pepperdine Thursday (6:30 p.m. MST, CBS SN).
The Waves have won four of their last five games with their only loss during that stretch coming against Saint Mary’s. BYU hosts the Gaels Saturday.
The Cougars (15-7, 4-3) and the Waves (11-10, 4-3) are currently tied for third place in the West Coast Conference standings along with San Francisco and Santa Clara.
How will BYU respond to its latest adversity? Coach Mark Pope is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“We’ll see tomorrow. I like the way we’re practicing but it doesn’t really mean anything. Everybody practices hard after a loss,” he said. “It matters how well we can translate that into the game. We took a little bit of a step backwards against San Francisco in terms of the way we approached the game on both ends of the floor, especially the defensive end. The trick is, can we now make a jump and not just get back to where we were but can we be a little bit better than where we were before that? That’s our challenge.”
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In the game against USF, guard Khalil Shabazz came off the bench and poured in a career-high 32 points.
The Waves have a bunch of capable scorers, including guard Colbey Ross, who averages 20 points per game, as well as forwards Kameron Edwards (16.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg) and Kessler Edwards (13.8, 7.9 rpg). Guard Skyler Chavez averages 11.8 points.
Kameron Edwards is the reigning WCC Player of the Week, having averaged 18.5 points and 11 rebounds in their wins over Santa Clara on the road and Portland at home.
“This is a dangerous team,” Pope said of Pepperdine. “We’re playing against a really explosive, isolation-oriented team coming off a loss against a team (San Francisco) that surprisingly spent a lot of time in isolation in the second half and we didn’t manage it very well.”
Yes, the Waves pose plenty of challenges.
“They like to run. They push the ball in transition. The way they attack the glass offensively, they send a lot of guys to the glass,” said guard Jake Toolson. “And they have guys that can make shots. We’ve got to be able to defend the 3-point line and stay in front of our guy. We’ve had a great week of preparation and we’ve put the work in. It’s time to go out there and do it. I’m really excited to see how this team responds.”
Guard TJ Haws is hoping his team learns from last weekend’s setback.
“In the second half, our defense, we weren’t locked in as a team defensively,” he said. “That’s been a big emphasis this week in practice — getting after it defensively, being alert, being active at all time, whether you’re on the ball or off the ball. We’ve all got to be engaged and locked in and focused. We’ve had a great three days of practice defensively. I feel like we’ve made great strides moving forward. Sometimes a loss can be a great learning experience. Hopefully, that’s the case for us.”
Of course, the Cougars are glad to be back home after playing three in a row on the road. They’re counting on big crowds to show up this weekend.
“It’s one of the things that makes this place special,” Pope said of the Marriott Center. “When our student section is at its best, I’m not sure there is an equivalent out there. It’s really special.”
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The Cougars are feeling a strong sense of urgency as they get set to conclude their January schedule. BYU is aiming for a berth into the NCAA Tournament all season long and because of that, every game carries a lot of weight.
The Cougars check in at No. 29 in the latest NCAA NET rankings. This week, they are projected as a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“This is a great opportunity for us. If you told us before the season that we’d be right here where we are, I think every single one of us in the locker room would have taken this spot right here,” Toolson said. “We’re really excited about what’s in front of us. We try to take it one game at a time. If we can get better every day and focus on the game that’s in front of us, then over time, we’ll achieve everything that we set out to do before the season.”
Cougars on the air
Pepperdine (11-10, 4-3) at BYU (15-7, 4-3)
Thursday, 6:30 p.m. MST
Marriott Center
TV: CBS SN
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
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After taking a ‘step backward’ at USF, BYU looking to bounce back against ‘dangerous’ Pepperdine team - Deseret News
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