Figuring out how to stop BYU’s offense will be a season-long headache for opponents.
The No. 7 Cougars head into Tuesday’s game against Delaware in Provo, Utah, coming off a nearly perfect offensive performance. They dismantled Holy Cross for 40 minutes and led wire-to-wire in a 98-53 win on Saturday, their 21st straight home nonconference victory.
BYU (2-0) shot 61.9% from the field and committed only six turnovers against the Crusaders. Five players scored in double figures for the Cougars — led by Richie Saunders with 20 points. It was the 14th straight game Saunders has reached double figures.
After missing numerous layups in a season-opening win over Villanova, BYU showed massive improvement against Holy Cross, scoring 62 points in the paint.
“Something we did a lot of work on this week was finishing. This notion of paint finishing and paint decisions is going to be the thing that moves the pendulum the most,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “If we can figure out how to be great rim finishers and great paint decision-makers, we are going to be a good offensive team.”
The Cougars are also shaping up to be a more rugged defensive team than a year ago. Their length and athleticism are proving disruptive on the perimeter.
BYU forced 15 turnovers and held Holy Cross to 3-of-22 shooting from 3-point range. This follows on the heels of forcing 11 turnovers against Villanova while also holding the Wildcats to 10-of-35 shooting from the perimeter.
“We’ve got a lot of guys that just are good at one-on-one defense, being able to guard their yard,” guard Dawson Baker said.
Delaware faces a stiff challenge in trying to avoid getting mauled by the Cougars.
The Blue Hens (0-2) lost to Division II opponent Wilmington (Del.) 71-62 in their home opener on Friday after falling to Bucknell 78-70 in their season opener a few days earlier. Few things went right against the Wildcats.
Delaware finished with 16 turnovers, leading to 19 points for Wilmington. The Blue Hens also shot 3-of-24 from 3-point range, opening the door for their in-state neighbors to pull away late in the second half.
Virginia transfer Christian Bliss had a team-high 13 points against Wilmington to go along with eight assists and seven rebounds. Macon Emory also posted a second straight double-double, tallying 11 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
“We’re just trying to figure out who we are and have an identity and, when the adversity hit, we didn’t know how to respond,” Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby said.
The Blue Hens will be short-handed against BYU. Five players were sidelined in the loss to Wilmington because of injuries.
The Cougars have also suffered injury attrition early in the season. UC Riverside transfer Nate Pickens — brought in to be BYU’s backup point guard — had season-ending ankle surgery before playing a game for the Cougars this season. Pickens plans to redshirt and return next season.
This is the first meeting between BYU and Delaware.
