The best kept secret in college basketball is officially no longer a secret.
The Cougars were a dark horse choice to reach the Sweet 16 before they scored 91 points in Saturday night’s 13-point win over Gonzaga.
Now they’re going to be a trendy pick to go even deeper in the NCAA Tournament.
A breathtaking offensive team, BYU shoots 50.3 percent from the field and 42.2 percent from three-point range. The Cougars also average 80.6 points and have three players — Yoeli Childs, Jake Toolson, and TJ Haws — that could play anywhere in the country.
“That’s a tough trio for a lot of people to deal with,” BYU head coach Mark Pope said. “They’re grown men and have absolutely no fear of anybody that they’re going to play.”
Another thing to keep in mind about that trio?
Their age.
While Childs, Toolson, and Haws are all listed as seniors, Toolson is a graduate transfer in his fifth season while Haws is the age of a sixth-year player since he spent time doing a Mormon mission.
Childs, Toolson, and Haws are averaging a combined 51.2 points.
UCLA is again nationally relevant
The Bruins were in purgatory.
Now they’re in a position where they can play their way into the NCAA Tournament.
UCLA was 10-10 on Jan. 26th after losing by 21 at Oregon, but has rallied to win seven of its last eight games thanks to tenacious defense and a constant willingness to share the basketball on offense.
Both were missing during the first three months of the season.
“We needed to go through what we went through to become close as a team,” UCLA head coach Mick Cronin said on Saturday night after the Bruins’ 70-63 win at Colorado. “Then we realized that we were in a lifeboat and we made the choice to work together and save our season.”
UCLA is currently 17-11 overall and has now swept Colorado and won a game over Arizona in Tucson.
The Bruins’ final three games are all against teams projected to be in the NCAA Tournament, starting with Thursday’s home game in Westwood against Arizona State. UCLA will then host Arizona next weekend and then travel to USC on March 7th.
The Bruins are currently allowing just 59.7 points this season in wins and 79.5 points in losses.
San Diego State’s loss could wind up being a blessing in disguise
The Aztecs’ loss to UNLV on Saturday night ended their 26-game winning streak and potentially jeopardized their chances of being a number one seed for the NCAA Tournament.
That may not be as bad of a situation as it appears to be.
Before falling to the Runnin Rebels, San Diego State was projected to be the top overall seed in the East Region. While that’s currently still the case, this team may actually have a better chance of advancing to the Final Four if it was a two seed in the West Region, where it could play Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Los Angeles.
Gonzaga is currently projected to be the top seed in the West Region.
If San Diego State winds up as the top seed in the East Region on Selection Sunday, it would have to fly cross country to play Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in New York at Madison Square Garden if it advances in the bracket.
That would mean a potential regional final showdown with Duke if seeds held up, which would be a pseudo road game for the team from the Mountain West Conference.
The Blue Devils have regularly had a strong alumni presence at the World’s Most Famous Arena under Mike Krzyzewski.
This and That:
– Michigan is now 13-4 when Isaiah Livers is in the lineup and 5-5 when he is not. If healthy, the Wolverines look like a team that is more than capable of reaching the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The 6-7 Livers is averaging 13.6 points and 3.8 rebounds while shooting a blistering 44.3 percent from three-point range.
– Prior to Saturday’s win at Xavier, Collin Gillespie averaged 20.8 points in Villanova’s six road victories this season. He only scored four against the Musketeers and the Wildcats still won by nine. Jay Wright’s squad is 21-6 overall and on an upward trajectory.
– There may be no team in college basketball that’s more mercurial than LSU. The Tigers have the talent to win multiple games in the NCAA Tournament, but they could also be a victim of an early round upset if they don’t start defending. LSU is giving up an average of 85.8 points in its last six games.
– Houston’s losses in the American Conference all have the same feel. During league play, the Cougars have lost four games by a total of six points, which were all decided on the game’s final possession. This team will likely be underseeded in the NCAA Tournament.
– Another team that could be underseeded in the NCAA Tournament? Utah State. The Aggies returned the majority of their nucleus from last year’s team that won 28 games and reached the field of 68, but were hampered by injuries for most of November and December. “We couldn’t even practice,” Aggies head coach Craig Smith said. “Now we’re healthy and we’re performing like the team that we thought we’d be.” Utah State has won five straight games and eight of its last nine, with the only loss coming on the road at San Diego State.
– Texas Tech freshman Jahm’ius Ramsey is quietly on a tear. The 6-4 guard is averaging 18.2 points over his last five games while shooting 52 percent from the field and 55 percent from three-point range. “He’s always locked in,” Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard said of Ramsey. “Jahm’ius has no vices. It’s all basketball.” The Red Raiders are currently 18-9 overall and 9-5 in Big 12 play.
– Florida didn’t win Saturday’s game against Kentucky at Rupp Arena, but that doesn’t mean that the Gators haven’t turned a corner. Mike White’s squad has won three of its last four games and five of its last seven. “Our younger guys have started to buy in defensively,” White said. Florida is 17-10 overall and still has home games remaining against LSU and Kentucky. The Gators haven’t lived up to the expectations they had in the preseason, but they’re still capable of advancing in the NCAA Tournament.
– East Tennessee State’s Jeromy Rodriguez is hopeful to return this week from a foot injury, according to Buccaneers head coach Steve Forbes. The 6-7, 230 pound senior hasn’t played since Jan. 4th and was averaging 10.7 points and 7.9 rebounds prior to injury. “He’ll give us a presence on the interior and some more physicality,” Forbes said of Rodriguez. East Tennessee State is one of four teams in college basketball with 25 or more wins. The other three? San Diego State, Dayton, and Liberty.
Games to Watch:
Monday: Louisville at Florida State, Oklahoma State at Kansas
Tuesday: Dayton at George Mason, Kentucky at Texas A&M, Iowa at Michigan State, Texas Tech at Oklahoma, Colorado State at San Diego State
