Dee Events Center
Ogden, Utah
Time: Saturday, 7:00 p.m. MST
TV: BYUtv
What To Watch For:
Can Carlino Stay Hot? If BYU wants to be a elite team that can seriously challenge for a conference championship, they have to find a consistent third scoring option behind Tyler Haws and Brandon Davies — and it appears that Matt Carlino is the once and future heir to that throne. With no one else proving worthy, the job has seemingly fallen back to Carlino, despite Dave Rose's original plan to make him a more "traditional" point guard. However, one big question remains: Can he be that guy? Carlino has seen his shooting percentages increase dramatically in the past few games, and he finally broke through in a big way against Utah last week. If he can keep that streak going and score the ball with reasonable efficiency, it will be a very good sign for the Cougars moving forward.
Can Haws Get Open? I hate to say this, but opposing teams have figured Tyler Haws out. They have his number now, and the antidote is pretty easy to duplicate. Over the last two games, Iowa State and Utah threw extremely physical defenses at Haws, making it difficult for him to get open away from the ball and then bodying up on him on the catch. This strategy made Haws visibly uncomfortable on the floor, and it showed — he shot just 6-for-23 combined for the two contests, by far his worst performances of the season. Unfortunately, this kind of play isn't going away. The secret is out, and teams now know what works. Haws likely won't catch anyone sleeping again, but that doesn't mean he still can't excel. In order to do so, he will have to adapt to this new style of defense and find its vulnerabilities. We will see if he has begun making strides in that area on Saturday.
Can They Win On The Road? BYU has yet to win a road game this season, dropping big-time losses at Iowa State and against Florida State and Notre Dame in Brooklyn. They did beat Montana pretty handily in Salt Lake City, but the Cougars play regularly enough at EnergySolutions Arena that it might as well be considered Marriott Center North. The trip to Ogden, while not a particularly exotic destination or opponent, could present them with a chance to finally get the road monkey off their backs — but it won't be easy. Even though Damian Lillard has now taken his talents to the bigger and brighter lights of the NBA, Weber State is still a solid team with a tough home environment. Another lackluster BYU performance could easily pin the Cougars' backs against the wall yet again. It doesn't have to be that way — all they need to do is play reasonably well, but that has proven to be easier said than done at times this year.
There is no doubt that BYU should win this game. They are the better, more talented team. Weber State is simply not good enough to hang with them — unless they don't show up. It wouldn't be the first time this happened in Ogden. Two years ago, during Jimmer and Jackson's senior year, the best BYU team of its generation went into the Dee Events Center and laid a total egg, barely escaping with a six-point win. If the 2012-2013 Cougars duplicate that effort, they will lose on Saturday. They are nowhere near as good as that 2010-2011 team, and therefore the margin for error is considerably smaller. I don't foresee this being a problem — I believe Rose will have his team ready to play after a relatively light week — but anything can happen if Brock Zylstra decides to start building a house outside the three-point line.
Your assessment of Mr. Carlino is accurate. He was born to shoot, not to pass.
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