BYU Looks to Regroup at LMU
By James Pigott
March 8, 2014; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Tyler Haws (3, left) and guard Anson Winder (20) fight for the ball with Loyola Marymount Lions forward Marin Mornar (42) during the second half in the quarterfinals of the West Coast Conference tournament at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
BYU Cougars (17-8, 7-5) @ LMU Lions (8-16, 4-8)
Date: Saturday, February 7, 2015
Location: Gersten Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
Time: 1:00 PM PT
TV: TWC SportsNet Game of The Week (Tompkins, Jacobsen, Tennant)
Livestream: thew.tv
Live Stats: CBS Sports GameTracker
PROJECTED STARTERS
BYU
Kyle Collinsworth, 12.6 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 5.6 APG
Anson Winder, 14.5 PPG, 3.9 RPG
Tyler Haws, 22.6 PPG, 4.4 RPG
Dalton Nixon, 2.4 PPG
Corbin Kaufusi, 2.9 PPG, 3.2 RPG
6th man: Chase Fischer, 13.7 PPG
LMU (Based on Previous Game)
Chase Flint, 2.3 PPG, 3.8 APG
Matt Hayes, 4.0 PPG
David Humphries, 6.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG
Marin Mornar, 10.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Godwin Okonji, 6.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG
6th man: Evan Payne, 17.9 PPG
Keys to the Game for BYU
The last game BYU played against LMU, the Lions were playing at the Marriott Center without leading scorer Evan Payne and still stayed close to the Cougars for most of the game. This time, BYU will need to limit Marin Mornar inside and on the glass. Mornar is on an absolute tear right now, averaging 25 PPG and 10 RPG in his last two games. Godwin Okonji has also given BYU problems on the boards over the past few seasons, so it will be important for Corbin Kaufusi, Dalton Nixon, Ryan Andrus, Isaac Neilson, and (if necessary) Luke Worthington to be active on defense and to know where their man is when the shot goes up. Recovering from concussion like symptoms, Chase Fischer will need to get hot from outside as the Cougars struggled mightily shooting the ball against Pepperdine in the second half. Haws and Winder both need to rebound from poor shooting games against Pepperdine, so they need to have a next game mentality and not dwell on the past. If Frank Bartley plays, he needs to make smarter decisions with the basketball and not commit live ball turnovers that allow the opposing game to get out in transition.
Keys for LMU
Keep featuring Marin Mornar: Until Evan Payne comes in the game, Mornar has been the only true offensive option the Lions have. Ayodeji Egbeyemi is listed as questionable for this game, which thrusts more offensive pressure on Mornar. The Lions need to do what they can to contest BYU outside shots, and not let the Cougars make 10 to 15 threes. An unexpected contribution from someone like Matt Hayes and his outside shooting will be necessary for the Lions to pull off the upset.
Prediction
It is tough to play the Cougars after a loss, especially after a devastating loss they had to Pepperdine. The Cougars will come out angry and focused, trying to win as many games as possible from this point out, even if the NCAA is out of reach. BYU 75, LMU 62.