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Last night, Tramon Mark put on his cape to lead Texas to a win over NC State. The final minute of the game was chaotic and nearly season-ending for the Longhorns but they’ve found their way officially into the field of 64. Now, they head to Portland, Oregon to take on the 6-seed BYU. The Cougars are led by the possible top pick in this NBA draft and an elite scoring PG that can outscore teams by themselves. However, the absence of senior leader Richie Saunders could prove to be the opening Texas needs.
Let’s get into the Cougars and why the Longhorns have a real shot at pulling the upset:
23-11 Overall, 9-9 in B1G Play
Points Per Game: 83.9 - 24th in the country
Points Allowed Per Game: 75.3 - 226th in the country
Three Point Percentage: 34.9% - 129th in the country
Quad 1 Record: 7-10, 15 Quad 1 & 2 Wins
F AJ Dybantsa: This is a name that, if you haven’t heard it yet, you will plenty going forward. Dybantsa is not only BYU’s leading scorer, averaging over 25 points per game, he leads the entire country. Many believe Dybantsa will be the first name called in the NBA Draft. The 6’9” forward brings a guard skill-set to the table, with elite feel for the game and shotmaking ability. This will be the toughest player to guard Dailyn Swain has seen all year and will need to rise to the challenge if Texas is going to win.
G Robert Wright III: Although Dybantsa gets the headlines, Rob Wright III has put together a special year as his running mate. The maestro of the Cougar offense has scored 18.2 PPG this season and is shooting over 42% from deep. If Dybantsa can’t find offense early, Wright can pick up the slack and score 39 points, like he did in BYU’s win over Colorado in the regular season. Tramon Mark and Chendall Weaver stepped up defensively against NC State and they’ll have to again.
F Kennard Davis Jr.: Moving to the interior, Davis Jr. is where the offensive production for the Cougars falls off. From Dybantsa and Wright averaging 18+ points a game to Davis rolling into this matchup averaging just 8.5 a game. However, he’s scored 15+ points in three of BYU’s last four games so he’s capable of strong offensive performances. With what the top two are capable of, Texas can’t allow Davis to get going offensively.
F Keba Keita: This is going to be the Cougars chance to slow Matas Vokietaitis. Keita is giving up four inches and over 20 pounds to Vokietaitis but has strong defensive instincts and can be a force on the glass. Keita has to be kept silent offensively, keeping the pressure on the top two guys for the Cougars. Vokietaitis should have the edge here but he needs to take full advantage for the Texas offense to thrive tomorrow.
If it’s not clear by now, BYU goes as Dybantsa and Wright go. The good news for the Cougars is there’s not many times those two are missing. This will be the toughest challenge for Dailyn Swain, Tramon Mark, Chendall Weaver and the rest of the Texas guards/wings defensively. However, because of that reliance on that duo, there is an opening for Texas to exploit.
Texas should have the advantage on the glass, as they did against NC State. BYU doesn’t have a player that physically matches up to Matas Vokietaitis. Because of that, Texas should be able to slow this game down and force more pressure on each BYU offensive possession. With Richie Saunders out, the BYU offense has been very up and down with the sole elite offensive performances coming on the back of special games from Dybantsa or Wright.
This is a team that Texas can beat. They will need a truly elite defensive performance on the remarkable duo for BYU to do it. If they can find a way to slow down Dybantsa and Wright, the door is wide open for an upset. Now, that’s much easier said than done but if the Longhorns can match the defensive performance and avoid the offensive mistakes from the NC State game, they could punch their ticket to the Round of 32.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Can Texas slow down Dybantsa, Wright and upset the Cougars?
Continue reading...
Let’s get into the Cougars and why the Longhorns have a real shot at pulling the upset:
BYU By The Numbers
23-11 Overall, 9-9 in B1G Play
Points Per Game: 83.9 - 24th in the country
Points Allowed Per Game: 75.3 - 226th in the country
Three Point Percentage: 34.9% - 129th in the country
Quad 1 Record: 7-10, 15 Quad 1 & 2 Wins
Players To Watch
F AJ Dybantsa: This is a name that, if you haven’t heard it yet, you will plenty going forward. Dybantsa is not only BYU’s leading scorer, averaging over 25 points per game, he leads the entire country. Many believe Dybantsa will be the first name called in the NBA Draft. The 6’9” forward brings a guard skill-set to the table, with elite feel for the game and shotmaking ability. This will be the toughest player to guard Dailyn Swain has seen all year and will need to rise to the challenge if Texas is going to win.
G Robert Wright III: Although Dybantsa gets the headlines, Rob Wright III has put together a special year as his running mate. The maestro of the Cougar offense has scored 18.2 PPG this season and is shooting over 42% from deep. If Dybantsa can’t find offense early, Wright can pick up the slack and score 39 points, like he did in BYU’s win over Colorado in the regular season. Tramon Mark and Chendall Weaver stepped up defensively against NC State and they’ll have to again.
F Kennard Davis Jr.: Moving to the interior, Davis Jr. is where the offensive production for the Cougars falls off. From Dybantsa and Wright averaging 18+ points a game to Davis rolling into this matchup averaging just 8.5 a game. However, he’s scored 15+ points in three of BYU’s last four games so he’s capable of strong offensive performances. With what the top two are capable of, Texas can’t allow Davis to get going offensively.
F Keba Keita: This is going to be the Cougars chance to slow Matas Vokietaitis. Keita is giving up four inches and over 20 pounds to Vokietaitis but has strong defensive instincts and can be a force on the glass. Keita has to be kept silent offensively, keeping the pressure on the top two guys for the Cougars. Vokietaitis should have the edge here but he needs to take full advantage for the Texas offense to thrive tomorrow.
Overall
If it’s not clear by now, BYU goes as Dybantsa and Wright go. The good news for the Cougars is there’s not many times those two are missing. This will be the toughest challenge for Dailyn Swain, Tramon Mark, Chendall Weaver and the rest of the Texas guards/wings defensively. However, because of that reliance on that duo, there is an opening for Texas to exploit.
Texas should have the advantage on the glass, as they did against NC State. BYU doesn’t have a player that physically matches up to Matas Vokietaitis. Because of that, Texas should be able to slow this game down and force more pressure on each BYU offensive possession. With Richie Saunders out, the BYU offense has been very up and down with the sole elite offensive performances coming on the back of special games from Dybantsa or Wright.
This is a team that Texas can beat. They will need a truly elite defensive performance on the remarkable duo for BYU to do it. If they can find a way to slow down Dybantsa and Wright, the door is wide open for an upset. Now, that’s much easier said than done but if the Longhorns can match the defensive performance and avoid the offensive mistakes from the NC State game, they could punch their ticket to the Round of 32.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Can Texas slow down Dybantsa, Wright and upset the Cougars?
Continue reading...
