Post-Jimmer — A BYU Basketball Blog: Santa Clara

Photo Credit: Getty

It's only natural for a BYU fan like myself to be cautious in my expectations of BYU Basketball. I had high hopes for this team, but after some ugly losses to the better programs on our non-conference slate, I returned to my status quo pessimism.

So it was no surprise that I was worried about this road contest against the Broncos of Santa Clara. After all, they had played Duke down to the wire in Durham and given Gonzaga all they could handle. Also, BYU has been troubled by teams that shoot well from outside and Santa Clara's Kevin Foster is the WCC's all-time leader in three-pointers made. So factor that with BYU's slow starts in the last two conference games and you have the reasoning behind my worries.

These concerns were replaced with a new-found sense of optimism as the Cougars were able to pull away in the second half and score an 82-64 victory. I came into the game a Debbie Downer and left seeing the glass half-full. What was the reasoning behind my change of heart? It was the reminder that Dave Rose is a very good basketball coach.

Brigham Young Cougars

Final

Santa Clara Broncos

STARTERS

	Matt Carlino, PG 7-12 FG \| 3-6 3PT \| 4-6 FT \| 3 REB \| 8 AST \| 21 PTS This was Carlino's best performance yet as a Cougar. He finally found the sweet spot between being a distributor and being a scorer, and the results were downright magical. He played the role of floor general to near-perfection, dishing out 8 assists with only 2 turnovers, but he also scored the ball with ruthless efficiency. If he can strike that balance on a consistent basis, BYU will be virtually unstoppable.
	Brock Zylstra, SG 3-6 FG \| 1-3 3PT \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 7 PTS After lighting the world on fire with a perfect shooting night against San Francisco, Zylstra was just OK on Saturday. He didn't do anything particularly poorly, but he also didn't stand out in any meaningful way. Yet, with Carlino, Hartsock, and Davies all firing at full capacity, it was inevitable that somebody would fade into the background — and Brock filled that role.
	Charles Abouo, SF 3-6 FG \| 1-2 3PT \| 6-6 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 AST \| 13 PTS Abouo struggled with foul trouble throughout, and played only 21 minutes as a result. However, he took full advantage of that time and attacked the rim with an aggressiveness that has been missing in recent weeks, getting easy shots and drawing a boatload of fouls to boot. He'll never be the Cougars' first option, but this is the kind of solid supporting performance BYU needs out of Charles every night.
	Noah Hartsock, PF 8-11 FG \| 1-1 3PT \| 4-6 FT \| 5 REB \| 1 AST \| 21 PTS I don't know how this guy does it. Every night, no matter the opponent, Noah finds a way to dissect their defense like a master surgeon. He doesn't have bad games, and Saturday was no different. He didn't rebound quite as much as he normally does, but that's really just nit-picking. Another great Hartsock performance.
	Brandon Davies, C 9-13 FG \| 0-0 3PT \| 5-7 FT \| 5 REB \| 2 AST \| 23 PTS It seems somebody flipped a switch in Davies' head prior to WCC play, because he has been on a tear ever since. He destroyed the Broncos' interior defense in the first half, overpowering anyone in his way. Duly chastened, they started double-teaming him after intermission, which opened up more opportunities for Hartsock and Carlino. When Brandon plays this well, opponents have to pick their poison.

	Matt Carlino, PG 7-12 FG \| 3-6 3PT \| 4-6 FT \| 3 REB \| 8 AST \| 21 PTS This was Carlino's best performance yet as a Cougar. He finally found the sweet spot between being a distributor and being a scorer, and the results were downright magical. He played the role of floor general to near-perfection, dishing out 8 assists with only 2 turnovers, but he also scored the ball with ruthless efficiency. If he can strike that balance on a consistent basis, BYU will be virtually unstoppable.
	Brock Zylstra, SG 3-6 FG \| 1-3 3PT \| 0-0 FT \| 4 REB \| 2 AST \| 7 PTS After lighting the world on fire with a perfect shooting night against San Francisco, Zylstra was just OK on Saturday. He didn't do anything particularly poorly, but he also didn't stand out in any meaningful way. Yet, with Carlino, Hartsock, and Davies all firing at full capacity, it was inevitable that somebody would fade into the background — and Brock filled that role.
	Charles Abouo, SF 3-6 FG \| 1-2 3PT \| 6-6 FT \| 1 REB \| 3 AST \| 13 PTS Abouo struggled with foul trouble throughout, and played only 21 minutes as a result. However, he took full advantage of that time and attacked the rim with an aggressiveness that has been missing in recent weeks, getting easy shots and drawing a boatload of fouls to boot. He'll never be the Cougars' first option, but this is the kind of solid supporting performance BYU needs out of Charles every night.
	Noah Hartsock, PF 8-11 FG \| 1-1 3PT \| 4-6 FT \| 5 REB \| 1 AST \| 21 PTS I don't know how this guy does it. Every night, no matter the opponent, Noah finds a way to dissect their defense like a master surgeon. He doesn't have bad games, and Saturday was no different. He didn't rebound quite as much as he normally does, but that's really just nit-picking. Another great Hartsock performance.
	Brandon Davies, C 9-13 FG \| 0-0 3PT \| 5-7 FT \| 5 REB \| 2 AST \| 23 PTS It seems somebody flipped a switch in Davies' head prior to WCC play, because he has been on a tear ever since. He destroyed the Broncos' interior defense in the first half, overpowering anyone in his way. Duly chastened, they started double-teaming him after intermission, which opened up more opportunities for Hartsock and Carlino. When Brandon plays this well, opponents have to pick their poison.

Recap: BYU 82, Santa Clara 64

Report Card: BYU 95, Santa Clara 78