BYU vs. Arizona 2010

[MikeWaters]

Impressive win, no doubt about it. BYU took it to a team that has a future NBA player (Williams), that also had a lot of athleticism on the court.

Speaking of that, are we underestimating the athleticism of BYU's athletes? Which team had the better defense? Which team likes to get the ball out and run? Which team rebounded better? Which team was missing one starter completely, and another starter for half the game?

Credit has to go to the BYU coaching staff. You will note the great defense, the rebounding--great team defense and help. BYU is doing a lot of fundamental things very well. For example, the passing. It is precision. Guys get the ball in a position to shoot.

We've all seen big games like the AZ game where the guys didn't shoot well. Saturday was not one of those days. Despite Jackson Emery not having his greatest day on offense.

It was nice to see Kyle Collinsworth take a 12 foot jumper from the baseline and hit it. Of course the game was out of reach at that point. But if that's what it takes for him to open the repertoire a little bit, then great. The kid really has a talent in traffic around the rim. Underrated athleticism and body control.

Jimmer is a lot of fun to watch. This may be the most exciting team to watch since Smith, Chapman, and Haws.

I was reading an article about the game, and one of the reader comments was that this team has really benefited from losing Tavernari. That may very well be possible. Tavernari was not a very good athlete, not a good defender, and frequently took ill-advised forced shots that take away from a team's rhythm. He took shots that could be had at any time. This team is much more disciplined, and the only player taking those sometimes difficult ill-advised shots is Jimmer. And Jimmer >> Tavernari. On the other hand, per wikipedia:

Tavernari finished his tenure at BYU as the winningest player in school history, tapping 105, setting school records in games played (132), three points made, (262), being in the top 15 in points and top 10 in steals and rebounds

However, you have to say that Hartsock is an upgrade at the 4. Because Tavernari was woefully undersized and slow to guard talented 4s. And when Davies is playing well, he is a huge upgrade over Miles. I expect Davies to only get better. There are times you just want to grab his shoulders and shake him and tell him to play smarter, but those times are becoming less and less.

I think we saw on Saturday that this team can hang with a number of good/great teams when they are playing well. It will be nice to get C. Collinsworth back and see how he fits in. Big test on Sat. @ UCLA, even if UCLA is down a bit this year. Esp. if Hartsock cannot go.

[MikeWaters]

More analysis:
http://rushthecourt.net/2010/12/11/r...e-arizona-byu/

Not particularly amazing analysis....but outside analysis nonetheless.

My interest will not decrease after the season, because I am so intrigued about how the NBA is going to view Jimmer's skills. You have this blogger quoting some anonymous NBA guy.

You had Frank Layden interviewed during the game saying that Jimmer is definitely NBA material. Yet at the same time, it's hard to point at a guy in the NBA, past or present, and say "that's who Jimmer will be."