OCR Text |
Show Game Guide 3 ""DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE Friday, March 2,2007 On the Other Sideline High and low Cougars utilize diverse low-post attack MIINtl Perimeter offense Chris Bellamy After a lackluster start to conference play, Johnnie Bryant is back to where he once was in terms of scoring offense. His play carried the Utes during center Luke NeviLTs absence last week* and he will likely absorb a larger role heading into the conference tournament. Utah guard Ricky Johns lit up the Scoreboard for 30 points in the Utes' latest win over San Diego State, shooting a blistering 6-for7 from behind the three-point line. Meanwhile, teammate Shaun Green continues to be one of the best three-point shooters in the nation, connecting on 55.3 percent of his shots from behind the arc. With the majority of BYU's scoring coming from inside the three^point line, the Cougars don't "have a definitive outside-scoring threat. In the last meeting between the two" teams, Jonathon Tavemari came off the bench to shoot 3-for-7 from behind the arc, but the Utes will surely be ready for him this time around. Edge: Utah Perimeter defense Chronicle Sports Editor The BYU Cougars were a bubble team, at the beginning of the season. Few knew exactly what to expect from the Cougs, who finished last season with 20 wins but lost in the first round of the NIT. This year, they are on the verge of punching their ticket to the NCAA Tournament. Certainly nothing is set. in stone yet—but even if they don't come out victorious in next week's conference tourney, the Cougars would be an odds-on favorite for an at-large bid. That's what happens when you win 30 straight home games and make mincemeat of the entire Mountain West Conference—a surprisingly competitive league this season. The reason for the sudden uphill swing is clear: forward Keena Young. The 6-foot-6 senior has gone from complementary player to go-to guy, giving the Cougars a two-pronged attack in the low post that, as many conference foes can attest, has made them nearly impossible to contain. Many have pointed to the similarities between the Utes' offensive strategy and that of their '^WfeVo -:^; : . If there is any question about which team this category goes to, you do not follow Utah basketball. Perimeter defense has plagued the Runnin' Utes this entire season. Statistically speaking, Utah ranks near the bottom of the nation in three-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 46.5 percent from behind the arc. On the other end of the spectrum, BYU is holding its foes to 33 percent from the three-point line. The Cougar defense, which has been the staple of the team's success this season, held sharpshooting San Diego State to merely 11.1 percent from three-point range last week. ^ " ' - 4 ^ " Edge: BYU Transition v ' Let's be honest: Neither of these teams have much of a transition game. BYU guards Lee Cummard and Jimmy Balderson have been forcing plenty of steals this year, but the large majority of Cougar points have come in set offense. Likewise, the Utes prefer a slower style of play, allowing Nevill to establish position on the low block before running their offense. The few times Utah has scored fastbreak points, it has been Johnnie Bryant and Johns coming up with steals and running the length of the floor for the bucket. Edge: BYU fierce rivals from Provo. .Utah centers its entire offense around getting the ball to Luke Nevill in the middle—which often leaves at least three other players looming around the perimeter, with one other slashing to the basket. While that strategy means plenty of points for Nevill (who averages nearly 17 points a game), the Cougars have an advantage in terms of versatility. Instead of revolving around one player, BYU's offense revolves around two frontcourt stars— Young and sophomore Trent Plaisted—who utilize vastly different styles of play. "Both their guys are tough, athletic, physical guys," said U head coach Ray Giacoletti. The Cougars like to set Young up 14-18 feet away from the basket and let him use his uncommon physical versatility to beat opponents. He won't beat teams with a long game, can take anyone off the dribble from the perimeter and has an explosive drive to the hoop. And whether he's facing off against a smaller guy—most of whom can't match his physicality—or a bigger guy— none of whom can match his athSee BYU Game Guide 4 Post game Both the Utes and the Cougars focus most of their offense" around the big boys down low. For BYU, Keena Young has been absolutely unstoppable from within 15 feet. Despite his size (6foot-6, 215 pounds), the nimble forward didn't have any trouble scoring points against the much larger Utes the last time around, putting up 21 in the winning effort. Combine that with the eversolid post game of Trent Plaisted and you've got one of the strongest post games in the conference. For Utah, Nevill has been the staple of the offense this entire season, averaging 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Despite injuring his right hip a week ago, Nevill was the saving grace in the Utes' double-overtime victory over New Mexico. The 7-foot-i Aussie hit two free throws with 24 seconds left to ice the victory. Freshman Daniel Deane has also been coming on strong for the Utes lately, scoring points iind grabbing boards in Nevill's s.tead •enenplay ^ -;>v-/ Ray Giacoletti has toyea wltH his starting'iiSfcup" quite a bit this year, so some of the "reserves" at the start of the year may currently be starters. Stephen Weigh and Lawrence Borha have pro-vided plenty of perimeter support—be it through defense or an occasional three-pointer. Down low, Deane and David Foster have sufficiently rilled the void in Nevill's absence. On the other side, BYU guard Tavefnari has come up huge for the Cougars in relief duty. In the last meeting between Utah and BYU, Tavemari came off the bench and scored 17 points in the winning effort. .-..„ ;\- ,.j , Edge: Utah ; . T . ^ , :':•>', l •ftS;/r-^* ;;/.;>-Hustle -- \ ' - • * • * • s The Cougars are the only team in the-Mountain West ence that has a winning record on the road, and they have accomplished that with their hustle. Cummard is one of the scrappier players in the conference and comes up with big rebounds and steals on a nightly basis. Meanwhile, Utah has been blessed with a scrounger of its own in Deane. The 6-foot-8 forward has been especially effective cleaning up the boards. Last week against the Lobos, Deane grabbed seven rebounds (three offensive) in just more than 19 minutes of play. Add that to the feverish work ethic .•V>v\.-.> •-;-, • -X - A •_* Coaching In his first year as head coach, BYU's Dave Rose led the Cougars .,:r.r. to an impressive 20-9 record last season, garnering MWC Coach ' .;$fe of the Year honors. This season, Rose has already captured another 20-win season (22-7), and his team currently sits atop the conference in first place. Utah's Giacoletti was even more impressive in his first year at the helm, finishing the 2004-2005 season with a 29-6 record and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance. But the last two seasons have been tumultuous for Giacolettt After struggling through a 14-15 season a year ago, the Utes have struggled to make ends meet this season, winning only 10 of the 27 games they have '•^^^^M^rip^i %M$^^^':$4§. >?.- »» 'V* ." W:. BYU wont on a roll late in the conference season, winning eight consecutive games before losing to San Diego State last Saturday. The Cougars bounced back on Tuesday with a victory over Air Force In Fort Collins, Wyo., putting a stop to the longest home-win streak in the nation and sealing at least a tie for the MWC crown. The Utes have suffered through an up-and-down rollercoaster ride this season but have found their rhythm lately. They will carry a two-game winning streak into Provo tomorrow, having beaten San Diego State and NewMexico at home in the last twp games. ^B^WS^ Edge: BYU *'•**&&&-;^'-•-"-^•-^ History Utah holds the all-time series record between the two teams at 124-119, but the Cougars currently have the longest home winning streak in the nation at 30 games. They have not lost in the Marriott Center since falling to Loyola-Marymount in their home opener of last season. Earlier in the year, the Cougars came to Salt Lake City and handled the Utes for 40-straight minutes, ultimately winning 76-66, The game.was not nearly as close as the final score would indicate, with BYO leading by 21 at one point in the second half. Edge: BYU Cody Brunner K.IM PETERSON/ Thr Daily Uuh Chronicle BYU's Keena Young gets pressure from Luke Nevill on defense as he takes the ball to the hoop in the rivalry match at the Huntsman Center on Jan. 31. Averaging 17.1 points per game, Young's combination of strength and speed have proven to be a problem for defensive opponents. The Deane of hustle Tony Pizza Chronicle Asst. Sports Editor There is an old adage in sports that you can't teach height. Maybe the same can be said for raw talent. At times, from the looks of the U basketball team, toughness could even be thrown into that category. But if the Runnin' Utes are looking for a good example of a player to .emulate, they need not look any further than their own Daniel Deane. ' So the name Daniel Deane doesn't exactly jump off the page at you. Why should it? He isn't a lock as a first round draft pick in the NBA draft later this year. He isn't even a lock to play 20 minutes a game for the U basketball team. He isn't even among the six most recognizable names on the Ute roster. But what Deane lacks in name recognition he makes up for in determination and hard-nosed grit that would make any blue-collar fan proud. And he's part of the reason the Runnin' Utes still have a shot at making some noise at the Mountain West Conference Tournament this year. "Daniel (Deane) brings toughness to our team," said Utah coach Ray Giacoletti. "He's not afraid to take a charge or put a body on somebody. Those kind of intangibles can't be taught, it's just instinct, and he has it." Before U star center Luke Nevill went down with a hip pointer injury on Feb. 19, most of Deane's sparse minutes came as Nevill's or forward Shaun Green's backup. His role greatly increased when Nevill suffered that injury, forcing him into the starting lineup against the Wyoming Cowboys later that week. With the Utes in desperate need of a win to keep a physical presence in Nevill's absence, Deane answered the bell. In just 24 minutes of action against the Cowboys, the 6-foot~8 freshman from Park City gave the Utes a healthy dose of toughness that the Utes have been sorely missing through most of the season. He also poured in 12 points and claimed four rebounds in Nevill's stead, but that was just the beginning. With Nevill playing, but still nursing his hip injury, Deane saw just 19 minutes of action against New Mexico on Feb. 24, but he made every one of those minutes count. Deane pulled down seven reSee D E A N E Game Guide 4 \ \ |