BYU @ Pacific Game Preview
By James Pigott
Feb 13, 2014; Stockton, CA, USA; Pacific Tigers guard Sama Taku (3) dribbles the ball against Brigham Young Cougars guard Matt Carlino (2) during the first half at Alex G. Spanos Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
BYU Cougars (14-5, 4-2) @ Pacific Tigers (9-8, 1-4)
Date: Thursday, January 15, 2015
Location: Spanos Center, Stockton, CA
Time: 8:00 PM PT
TV: ESPNU
Livestream: WatchESPN
Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=pac
PROJECTED STARTERS
BYU
Kyle Collinsworth, 12.7 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 5.8 APG
Tyler Haws, 22.1 PPG, 4.5 RPG
Chase Fischer, 13.8 PPG
Anson Winder, 14.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Luke Worthington, 2.7 PPG
Pacific
TJ Wallace, 12.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.6 APG
David Taylor, 6.9 PPG
Ray Bowles, 6.5 PPG
Eric Thompson, 8.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG
Sami Elerkay, 4.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG
Keys to the Game for BYU
With Anson Winder questionable for this game with a right knee injury, Skyler Halford and Jake Toolson need to be ready to play more minutes and to provide the defense that Winder has given BYU this season. With Tyler Haws and Kyle Collinsworth looking as healthy as ever, Chase Fischer needs to remain consistent on offense. BYU often goes as Fischer goes, and his scoring presence will be even more necessary as will be limited or not playing at all. BYU did a poor job on LMU’s sharpshooter Matt Hayes on Saturday in the second half, and they’ve historically struggled to keep excellent three point shooters down (Bobby Sharp, Chaz Williams last season, to name a couple). So the Cougars need to do their best to limit any opportunities for Pacific guard Alec Kobre (the former JUCO teammate of Hayes), who has already made 29 three point shots this season at a clip of 38%.
Keys to the Game for Pacific
The Tigers need to get their best player TJ Wallace back on track, as he has been in a major slump as of late. In the past four games, he has averaged 4.0 PPG on 7/26 shooting (26.9%). Prior to that he was averaging 15.3 PPG on 41% shooting. It’s not a surprise that the Tigers only averaged 56 points per game as a team during Wallace’s four game slump. They’re gonna need to score much more than that if they want to even have a chance to beat the BYU Cougars, who average 87 points per game as a team.
Prediction
BYU got their offense back on track, now it’s time to get their defense going. While improving the defense with Anson Winder will be no easy task, I believe Skyler Halford can come in and provide energy and intensity on defense to keep the Tigers’ scoring down. BYU 77, Pacific 54.