Inexperienced BYU hopes to play spoiler in WCC tournament
When Brigham Young tipped off against Loyola Marymount in the West Coast Conference Tournament on Saturday at Orleans Arena, it did so without one upperclassmen in its starting lineup.
That’s been the reality for the third-seeded Cougars (22-10, 22-6) in the latter part of the season, ever since the team announced Feb. 8 that senior point guard L.J. Rose needed meniscus surgery.
Inexperience has done anything but hold BYU back, however, as after a 89-81 quarterfinal victory over the Lions, the team has won five of its past six.
The next challenge for the Cougars: an 8:30 p.m. Monday semifinal against No. 2 Saint Mary’s.
“You know, we are a very young team,” sophomore Nick Emery said. “That’s the fun part, to be able to learn every day about how we can become better. This team has a lot of fight. We’re competitive guys. To now put that together and show what we can actually do, it’s fun, and we’re going to continue to get better from here.”
Emery is one of three sophomore starters for BYU, with the other two freshmen. The lineup, necessitated by Rose’s injury, was coach Dave Rose’s third major rotation change this season, but down the stretch it seemed to find its stride.
The Cougars’ biggest moment was a 79-71 victory at then-No. 1 Gonzaga on Feb. 25, which ended the Bulldogs’ hopes for an undefeated season. Underclassmen accounted for all but four points in the victory, with sophomore forward Eric Mika getting 29 points and 11 rebounds.
Only two upperclassmen, both juniors, saw the floor for BYU in its win over Loyola Marymount, with the two combining for one point in 27 minutes. The young starters recorded every other point, with all five scoring in double figures.
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs. The important thing is, the guys have stuck together,” freshman forward Yoeli Childs said. “I think that’s huge for a team full of young guys.”
Rose said one thing that impressed him about his inexperienced team Saturday was its ability to withstand runs. The Lions went on a 13-2 run in the second-half to nearly erase a 14-point deficit, but BYU responded.
“We’re learning from our mistakes, and we’re wanting to win and get better,” Emery said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence right now, and we’re playing poised.”
The Cougars showed they were capable of playing spoiler in the tournament with their win over Gonzaga to close the regular season, but the team will need to find a similar gear to topple Saint Mary’s in the semifinals. The Gaels defeated BYU by 13 points in both their meetings this season.
“We’re a couple of weeks more experienced (with this rotation) with some success, so hopefully we’re more prepared to play them than we were earlier on,” Rose said.
Contact reporter Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.