Answering Questions From No. 25 BYU Win Over No.11 Baylor
Feb 20, 2024, 10:20 PM | Updated: Feb 21, 2024, 10:49 am
PROVO, Utah – No. 25 BYU basketball bounced back with a big win over No. 11 Baylor 78-71.
Let’s answer some questions from the Cougar’s best win in league play.
Who was the MVP for BYU basketball?
This is an easy choice. Aly Khalifa was the most valuable player for the Cougars. His three-point shooting was essential for a Cougar win.
BYU desperately needs perimeter scoring from the frontcourt. When Noah Waterman and Aly Khalifa are hitting outside shots, this team is difficult to defend.
That’s exactly what happened against Baylor.
Khalifa led BYU in scoring with 14 points while making four of his six attempts from deep.
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 21, 2024
He also led the Cougars in assists with seven while committing no turnovers.
It was a big bounce-back performance for the “Egyptian Magician.”
What was the most interesting stat from the game?
Head coach Mark Pope wants this team to get up at least 30 three-point attempts per game.
The more they take from deep, the better. Against Baylor, they attempted 36 shots from the three-point line.
#BYU outscored Baylor by 27 points from the three-point line.
The Cougars can beat anybody in the country when they shoot like this from deep. #BYUhoops #Big12
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) February 21, 2024
More importantly, they outscored the Bears by 27 points from outside.
Credit to the BYU defense as well. Baylor started 3 for 3 from the three-point line. They only made two more long ball shots after the hot start.
What was the play of the game?
After a BYU timeout with 3:46 remaining, the Cougars drew up a beautiful play that resulted in a wide-open layup from Richie Saunders.
Unfortunately, Saunders missed the layup and Baylor scored on the other end, cutting the lead to four points.
On the ensuing offensive possession, the ball found Trevin Knell on the wing.
Knell buried the three and pushed the lead back up to seven points. It was a massive swing of momentum when it felt like things were shifting back toward Baylor.
When was the game won by BYU?
Baylor didn’t quit with multiple second-half surges to get within striking distance.
The Bears got the lead back to five points with under two minutes left.
Baylor coach Scott Drew said he was surprised with his team’s performance on the glass against #BYU.
BYU had 20 second chance points to Baylor’s four.#BYUHoops #Big12 pic.twitter.com/k5a0cKJu8H
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 21, 2024
However, Jaxson Robinson drilled a three-point shot on the other end and the Cougars went back up eight points with 90 seconds left.
The Marriott Center erupted after the shot from Robinson. It was a signature win for a BYU squad looking to win enough regular-season games to secure a spot in the NCAA 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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