Underdog BYU looks to down the Dons in San Fran

Wounded BYU is seeking answers after devastating loss to Pepperdine. No game is a gimmie anymore for this inexperienced BYU team, and tonight’s game on the road against San Francisco will be no exception.

USF senior guard Ronnie Boyce is leading the Dons with a scoring average of 14.2 points per game game. BYU and USF are currently tied for third-place in the West Coast Conference. A critical game when you realize the fourth-place team in the league would likely have second-round date with Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament. To avoid the Zags until the championship game, you need the third-spot.

BYU guard LJ Rose remains out with a knee injury. His timetable is uncertain but BYU head coach Dave Rose is optimistic that he might be back by the end of the season in time for the WCC tournament.

If BYU wants to pull off the upset (yes, I said upset), they will need to sync up on both ends of the floor. BYU’s offense found some success against Pepperdine based on the 83 points they scored, but there’s still a lack of offensive identity with this team. Can they get back to the inside-out play that gave them success early on in the year?

Defensively, the Cougars can only go up from here, right? After giving up 99 points to lowly Pepperdine, a team who had been averaging less than 70 points per game on the season, that was rock bottom. Time to improve from here.

BYU needs to come out on with a new energy, a new commitment, and finish the season strong. It starts tonight with San Francisco. Will BYU start to heal these wounds or just add salt to them? The last few weeks have been extra salty.

Spencer Taylor is a Contributor to Cougar Nation. Follow him on Twitter: @Spence_Tay.