Recap: BYU 97, Virginia Tech 71

Photo Credit: BYU Photo

Somewhere in Salt Lake City, Tyler Haws is probably still hitting jump shots.

The BYU sophomore exploded for a career-high 42 points on Saturday, leading his team to a big 97-71 win over hapless Virginia Tech at EnergySolutions Arena. Haws started fast, dropping 29 points in the first half on 9-for-13 shooting, including six three-pointers. And while he cooled off considerably after halftime, he still found a way to break his father Marty Haws' previous family record of 40 points in a Cougar uniform.

It was a breathtaking offensive display. Haws made virtually everything in that first half — open shots, contested shots, impossible shots. Everything was going in. It was almost enough to make a fan harken back to the days of Jimmer. Almost. But lest we forget, Haws is only a sophomore. He has plenty of time to turn in a few more of these performances and etch his own name in BYU lore.

Pre-Game Primer: BYU vs. Virginia Tech

EnergySolutions Arena

Salt Lake City, Utah

Time: Saturday, 12:00 p.m. MST

TV: ESPNU

What To Watch For:

Wherefore Art Thou, Raul? Junior college transfer Raul Delgado arrived in Provo with a lot of fanfare, highly touted as a shooter and perimeter defender. However, in the early portion of the season, it appeared that many of those skills had been lost in his transition to the faster, more physical Division I game. As a result, Delgado rarely got off the bench. But then a few games ago, searching for any answer to shake up his team's relatively poor string of performances, coach Dave Rose decided to give him a chance — and Raul has made that decision look pretty smart. After a slow start, the newcomer has posted impressive performances in his last two games, scoring 7 and 11 points, respectively. He has done it by shooting efficiently, including a blistering 57 percent from beyond the arc — something this offensively challenged BYU team desperately needs — while also showing flashes of that much-ballyhooed defensive prowess. Will Delgado's hot streak continue? We will find out on Saturday, when his recent spate of performances will almost certainly earn him a good chunk of minutes off the bench. It's up to him to continue proving Rose right.

Report Card: BYU 70, Virginia Tech 68

Brigham Young Cougars

70

Final

68

Virginia Tech Hokies

STARTERS

	Matt Carlino, PG 3-15 FG | 1-8 3PT | 0-0 FT | 6 REB | 5 AST | 7 PTS Don't look now, but this is becoming a thing. Carlino was offensively atrocious for his third consecutive game, shooting an abysmal 20 percent from the floor. Then again, no one else was making shots anyway, so Rose stuck with the freshman for 35 minutes — and credit Matt for staying focused, making smart plays, and stepping up to finally hit a couple key shots down the stretch.
	Brock Zylstra, SG 1-5 FG | 1-5 3PT | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 2 AST | 3 PTS We need to be honest here: this was probably Zylstra's worst offensive game of the year. That being said, thanks be to everything good and holy that Brockzylla somehow wandered out of his personal shooting wilderness just long enough to drop the game-winning 3-pointer. Zylstra may have been largely irrelevant for his other 26 minutes on the floor, but he made that one count.
	Charles Abouo, SF 3-13 FG | 1-7 3PT | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 2 AST | 9 PTS It's hard to understate how important Abouo is to this team. When he plays well, they excel. When he doesn't, they struggle. Charles didn't look so good in Blacksburg, but he managed to (briefly) put it together in a few key moments to sustain the Cougars' momentum. Also, he did an excellent job of locking down the wing and defending aggressively in the 2-3 zone. Kudos for that.
	Noah Hartsock, PF 7-12 FG | 1-1 3PT | 7-8 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 22 PTS Statistically, this may not have been Hartsock's best game, but it was certainly his biggest. With Davies in foul trouble, Noah put BYU on his back and practically took over the game for 5-6 minutes in the second half. It seemed like every time I turned around, he was either making a big shot or getting to the line. Oh, and did I mention his game-saving block on the last play? Indispensable.
	Brandon Davies, C 3-9 FG | 0-0 3PT | 11-12 FT | 5 REB | 4 AST | 17 PTS BYU probably won this game at the free throw line, and Davies' 12 attempts (and 11 makes!) were crucial. Brandon struggled a bit from the floor, but it didn't really matter. He made a living at the stripe and, had he stayed out of foul trouble, probably would have gone for 25-plus on the night. Also worth mentioning — his cross-court pass to Zylstra for the game-winner. Perfect.

Three-Man Weave: It's Do-Or-Don't-Dance Time for BYU

With the stretch run of WCC play officially upon us and the Cougars now facing the make-or-break portion of their schedule, it seems as good a time as any to start up a new feature — the Three-Man Weave. Each week, three commentators from throughout Cougar Nation will offer their opinions and analysis on three BYU basketball-related issues for your reading pleasure.

For the maiden voyage, I am fortunate to be joined by Zach Bloxham, editor of SB Nation's excellent Vanquish the Foe blog, and Ben Wagner, a sports producer for BYU Radio and Post-Jimmer contributor. I greatly appreciate their willingness to participate and, for lack of a better term, "help a brother out" by taking part in this inaugural Weave.

Now, without further ado...