Scouting report: Davies, Hartsock pace Cougars

Known more for his suspension last season, Brandon Davies (0) has put all that in the past and put together a stellar junior campaign. His 15.0 points per game are second on the team, and he averages a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. He has been asked to take on a larger offensive role without Jimmer Fredette, and he has succeeded in doing so. Some of his efficiency numbers are down from a year ago, but overall Davies has been the best player in a Cougar uniform this year.

Against Iona: Davies had a classic game against the quick yet undersized Gaels. He dominated with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting and had 15 rebounds, but he also turned the ball over seven times. Still, he had his way inside and it will likely be Jamil Wilson who draws the assignment on Davies. He has a solid post game but does not extend out. Davante Gardner will see minutes on him as well.

Power forward Noah Hartsock (34) complements Davies perfectly in the front court. The 6-foot-8 senior has taken his game to another level in his final year, averaging 16.7 points on 56.5 percent shooting, and 5.2 rebounds. He has range extended out to 15 feet and will attempt an occasional 3-pointer. The 24-year-old has good length, blocking 1.6 shots per game. He is still recovering from a knee injury that cost him his Senior Night, but did play 27 and 30 minutes in the Cougars’ two WAC Tournament contests.

Against Iona: Hartsock was a scoring machine on Tuesday, as he contributed 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including a 3-pointer. He gets position in a hurry on BYU’s offensive sets and doesn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. Since he extends out to the 3-point line, Jae Crowder is expected to draw this assignment and will need to be ready for a host of moves from Hartsock.

Redshirt freshman Matt Carlino (10) has done well running the point this year. He has good size at 6-foot-2 and puts up solid assist numbers, but his shooting has been inconsistent. In his last five games, his scoring totals were 2, 18, 8, 8 and 12. Still, he has games of 21, 22 and 30 points, so he can go off against a weaker, smaller point guard.

Against Iona: Carlino was limited to 20 minutes against the Gaels, in part because of his four first half turnovers. He simply could not handle Iona’s pressure in the back court, which is something Marquette is sure to key on Thursday night. He finished with six points and two assists, but it was a rough night overall for the redshirt freshman.

24-year-old senior Charles Abouo (1) has been another Cougar to step out of the Jimmer Fredette shadow in 2011. His 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds are fourth and third on the team, respectively, and he has more than tripled his assist output from a year ago, from 0.8 to 2.6 per game. He likes to shoot and is a threat from beyond the arc, and is an above average wing defender at 6-foot-5.

Against Iona: Like Carlino, an abysmal first half (1-of-5 shooting) saw Abouo take a seat for much of the second half, in place of freshman Damarcus Harrison. He has good size, and it’s likely Vander Blue will draw the assignment.

By far, the most improved Cougar this year has been 6-foot-6 shooter Brock Zylstra (13). 49 of his 93 field goal makes have come from beyond the arc, and he shoots a team-best 38 percent from there. The Cougars do not rely on the 3-pointer much, but when they do Zylstra is their go-to player.

Against Iona: He had a huge bucket late in Tuesday’s game that sealed the Cougars’ comeback, and as a whole he played well. He finished with six points, four rebounds, three assists and just one turnover in 27 minutes. He is a threat from deep (1-of-3) but can also run the floor and push in transition. He is a player to watch who could get hot if Marquette doesn’t contain him.

6-foot-8 reserve Stephen Rogers (21) is working back from knee surgery that cost him 15 games down the stretch. He has not played more than 12 minutes in a game since Dec. 10, and is clearly not ready to be an impact player for the Cougars. Before his injury, Rogers averaged 9.9 points per game.

Against Iona: He did not play, but it is unknown whether it was Iona’s undersized, quick team or Rogers’ knee injury that held him out.

In Rogers’ absence, 6-foot-10 center Nate Austin (33) has seen increased minutes. He has struggled, fouling out in four of the last seven games, despite not playing more than 18 minutes in any. He has good height, but his frame is much too thin and he is learning on the fly. He is more of a defensive stopper than anything, having racked up 10 rebounds in 17 minutes against Gonzaga in a Feb. 23 win.

Against Iona: He only played four minutes, again because of Iona’s short lineup. He connected on a 3-pointer, his only basket of the game, and added two rebounds and a block.

Freshmen guards Anson Winder (20) and Josh Cusick (2), and forward Josh Sharp (12) round out the Brigham Young rotation, but the three provide limited value, with Winder leading the rookie trio with 4.3 points and 1.6 rebounds.

Against Iona: Cusick was fantastic on Tuesday, racking up five first half assists to keep the Cougars close in the first half. He handed out three more in the second half to finish with a career-high eight assists, and added five rebounds. He missed all four shots he took (35.7 percent on the year), but was crucial in keeping BYU around and in the comeback.

Winder contributed two 3-pointers in the first half and finished with eight points and two rebounds in 15 minutes.

The real story was Damarcus Harrison. The 6-foot-5 freshman had played a combined 10 minutes in the Cougars’ last six games, and had reached double-figure minutes once in conference play, had 12 points and three rebounds in 21 minutes. He had seven points in the second half, including a 3-pointer that cut the Cougars’ deficit to one, 65-64, with just under seven minutes to play.

WHAT THE COUGARS DO WELL

The tenth highest scoring team in the country (78.3 points per game), BYU puts up 60.0 shots per game, and shoots over 52 percent in effective field goal percentage. According to Ken Pomeroy, the Cougars average the fifth most possessions of any team (73.2 possessions) and do so without relying much on the 3-pointer. The Cougars have attempted 19.6 3-pointers per game.

Defensively, the Cougars allow 67.7 points per game, 129th in the country. Opponents have an effective field goal percentage of 47.5 percent, good for 107th in the country. Their steal and block percentages rank in the top 60, and they record over eight steals per game, 18th in the country. Pomeroy has the Cougars as the 22nd most efficient defense in the country, but the average strength of those offenses were 223rd most difficult in the country.

The issue with the Cougars, who are one of the most efficient teams in the country, is that their strength of schedule is a major question. According to Ken Pomeroy, the Cougars’ strength of schedule this year was 149, and according to ESPN was 94th toughest in the country.

The Cougars’ most significant victory was a home victory over Gonzaga, but the Cougars lost to the Bulldogs two other times. An early December neutral court win over Oregon and Tuesday’s win over Iona were the other two significant wins on the Cougars’ resume.

Simply put, BYU has feasted on inferior opponents, and while their numbers are nonetheless impressive, Marquette will be one of the few competitive teams they have played all year. (The Cougars lost 73-56 at Wisconsin in November; They lost to Baylor at home, 86-83).

The Cougars slowed down Iona on Tuesday with their 2-3 zone, something Marquette may very well see on Thursday afternoon. Still, Iona’s uptempo pace had the Cougar defense confused from the get-go, so expect Marquette to push tempo early and often.

Prediction: Marquette 82, BYU 68