No. 20 BYU Basketball Gets Revenge Against Oklahoma State
Mar 9, 2024, 10:09 PM | Updated: 10:11 pm
Fousseyni Traore #45 of the Brigham Young Cougars slam dunks the ball over Connor Dow #13 of the Oklahoma State Cowboy during the second half of their game at the Marriott Center on March 9, 2024 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – No. 20 BYU basketball closed out the regular season with a “payback” win over Oklahoma State.
The Cougars surged in the second half en route to an 85-71 win.
Let’s answer some questions from the Cougar’s 22nd win of the year.
Who was the MVP for BYU basketball?
Fousseyni Traore and Jaxson Robinson led BYU in scoring with 19 and 17, respectively.
However, I thought Spencer Johnson was outstanding in multiple aspects of the game. He’s my choice for the most valuable player.
Double-double for Spencer Johnson on senior night.
He's been awesome on both ends of the floor for #BYU in their regular season finale. #BYUhoops
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) March 10, 2024
Johnson, who was honored pre-game on a senior night, led BYU in rebounding and steals.
His three-point shooting to start the second half helped the Cougar offense find some rhythm after struggling in the first half. All 14 of his points were scored after the break.
“Seniors are special,” said head coach Mark Pope postgame regarding Johnson and Robinson. “When you trace their roads, they have been super crooked paths. They just kept fighting to get here, when nobody thought they could be.”
Although Johnson’s played his last game in Provo, there’s more season left with the NCAA tournament approaching fast.
What was the most interesting stat from the game?
BYU is hard to beat when they make more three-point shots than their opponent.
In their loss against Oklahoma State earlier in the season, BYU was -9 points from deep.
Fast forward to their rematch win and the Cougars were +18 from behind the line.
#BYU opens the second half on a 16-2 run against Oklahoma State.
Starting to pull away on Senior Night.#BYUHoops #Big12
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 10, 2024
It’s pretty simple for BYU. They need to take and make, a lot of three-point shots. If they shoot their season average of 35 percent, the Cougars will beat most opponents they face.
What was the play of the game for BYU basketball?
Noah Waterman made a great effort play early in the second half that resulted in a made three-point shot by Spencer Johnson.
Waterman dove out of bounds after an entry pass was slightly off the mark. His effort to keep the play alive displayed higher urgency from the Cougars in the second half.
BYU needed a win to lock up the five seed in the Big 12 tournament, which they did.
Who would have thought they would have finished higher than the Kansas Jayhawks before the season began? I’m not sure anybody would have.
When was the game won for BYU?
This game was close at the half. BYU only led by three points.
However, what makes this team fun to watch is their ability to pour it on offensively.
That’s exactly what happened in the second half with the Cougars outscoring the Cowboys
Richie Saunders sent Oklahoma State packing with a transition three-point make with 11:25 left in the second half.
If that wasn’t the nail in the coffin, the ensuing possession resulted in an easy basket for Traore, forcing a Cowboy timeout.
FOOOOOOOOOUSSSSSSS
📺: https://t.co/YmGoW9QoEJ pic.twitter.com/51uXtUU7js
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 10, 2024
The Cougars got their “payback” win and now they turn their attention to the conference tournament.
You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or you can find him on Twitter @baiamontematt here.
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