BYU looks to retain momentum against Santa Clara
By James Pigott
Nov 26, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Kyle Collinsworth (5) shoots as Wichita State Shockers forward Cleanthony Early (11) defends during the second half of the game at Sprint Center. Wichita won 75-62. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
BYU Cougars (15-9, 7-4) vs. Santa Clara Broncos (10-14, 3-8)
Date: Thursday, February 6, 2014
Location: Marriott Center, Provo, UT
Time: 8:00 PM PST
TV: ESPNU (Roxy Bernstein & Corey Williams)
Video: WatchESPN.com
LiveStats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=33652
Last Season: BYU won both meetings. The Cougars won 82-64 in Santa Clara and 96-79 in Provo.
PROJECTED STARTERS
BYU
Kyle Collinsworth, 14.0 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 5.0 APG
Skyler Halford, 8.7 PPG
Tyler Haws, 24.6 PPG
Eric Mika, 12.9PPG, 6.4 RPG
Nate Austin, 4.2 PPG, 8.1 RPG
Santa Clara
Brandon Clark, 16.9PPG, 3.5 APG
Jalen Richard, 4.0 PPG
Jared Brownridge, 16.9 PPG
John McArthur, 3.9 PPG
Yannick Atanga, 3.0 PPG, 5.0 RPG
KEYS TO THE GAME
BYU
Get Carlino on track: The junior point guard has scored just 12 points in his last 3 games. While it initially looked like coming off the bench was a good thing for him, it may be necessary to have him see earlier minutes to get into the flow of the game sooner. The Cougars cannot reach their potential without him.
Santa Clara
Jerry Brown: We all know that Santa Clara gets most of their scoring from the backcourt, which is why it is all the more advantageous when the Broncos can get something from Brown.
KEY MATCHUP
Tyler Haws vs. Jared Brownridge: Which team can get their star going? There is definitely more pressure on Brownridge to score because he has much less help offensively than Haws does. I believe Brownridge will have to outscore Tyler Haws to give the Broncos a chance, which will be quite a difficult task.
PREDICTION
BYU has just too much talent, and at the Marriott Center, they should have no trouble handling an under-manned Santa Clara team at home. BYU 88, Santa Clara 69.