3 Stats-Backed Issues With BYU’s Men’s Basketball Team (and a Simple Fix for Each)

The BYU men's basketball team has a few on-court issues that need fixing — and fast.

We’re about a month and a half into the men’s basketball season, and so far BYU has given fans a mix of highs and lows. Obviously, we all loved seeing BYU get another win over Utah, and the win against Oregon was impressive at the time (even if it doesn’t seem as noteworthy now). The Cougars rose as high as number 12 in the AP poll.

On the other hand, there’s the embarrassing loss against UVU, as well as a rough loss against Creighton that saw the Cougars tumble out of the top 25.

Needless to say, while the start of the 2021-2022 season has certainly seen its share of ups and downs, the Cougars have a lot to work on before entering WCC play — where several teams are already looking much stronger than originally anticipated. Here’s a closer look at some key areas where BYU can pick things up, based on their official NCAA stats.

1. Free Throw Percentage

BYU is currently ranked 108th in free throw percentage, with the Cougars hitting 73.06% of their free throw attempts so far on the season.

While 73 percent doesn’t sound too bad, it means that out of 193 free throw attempts, the Cougars have made 141. That’s almost 50 “missing” points over the course of the season — and in some scenarios, that can be costly. Heck, if BYU had made a few more free throws at the end of regulation against UVU, that game probably wouldn’t have gone to overtime, and the Cougars would have escaped with a win.

When it comes to free throw percentage, the Cougs’ most consistent shooters are Alex Barcello (90%), Trevin Knell (80%), Te’Jon Lucas and Fousseyni Traore (77.8%) and Spencer Johnson (70%). Seneca Knight, Gideon George, and Caleb Lohner are all shooting below 65% (Lohner is actually shooting a mere 57.1%).

In situations when the Cougs know they’re going to get fouled and need to make the free throws, having the right guys on the court can make all the difference come crunch time. Players like George and Lohner are great rebounders who you want on the floor in these situations, but they need to quickly get the ball to one of the team’s better free throw shooters.

2. Turnover Margin

The turnover margin has been another sore point for BYU at times. The Cougars rank 186th in the country in turnover margin, having secured 131 opponent turnovers while turning the ball over 128 times. That’s a measly 0.3 ratio.

While the Cougars have generally been keeping things close in the turnover margin, it’s pretty noteworthy that in both losses so far, BYU has found itself in a pretty significant deficit. BYU had 15 turnovers in both games, compared to 10 for UVU and 9 for Creighton. Te’Jon Lucas was responsible for 10 of the Cougars’ turnovers in these losses — a pretty alarming statistic.

Of course, a big part of the problem is that the Cougars struggle to generate turnovers. With an average of 5.3 steals per game, BYU is ranked 307th in steals per game. Only Alex Barcello averages more than one steal per game (1.1). If the steals aren’t coming, the Cougs need to improve their footwork and passing to limit how often they turn the ball over.

3. Foul Trouble

Obviously, you can’t control how often the refs are going to blow the whistle. At the same time, there is no denying that foul trouble has made life difficult for the Cougars at key points in the season. BYU is currently ranked 254th in the country for fewest fouls, having racked up 200 fouls through its first 11 games of the year.

It’s pretty simple, really — when your starters get into foul trouble, their minutes (and potential impact on the game) become limited. And of course, the later in the game those fouls get, the more free throw opportunities you give your competition.

Lohner fouled out in the loss to UVU, while Knight and Barcello both finished with four fouls — part of what gave Utah Valley an astounding 35 free throw attempts. The loss to Creighton saw similar issues, with Lohner, Knight, and Knell all racking up four fouls. While the Cougars only had eight free throw attempts, Creighton had 25.

Even in the win against Weber State, personal fouls gave the Wildcats a lot more scoring opportunities than the Cougars. Playing clean, especially on opponents’ shooting attempts, will pay big dividends in league play.

There Are Plenty of Positives, Though …

At 9-2, BYU has still had a great start overall, even if there’s room for improvement. The Cougs have had several impressive three point shooting games (including an astounding 61.5% against Weber State). They’re tied for 25th-best in rebounding margin and are holding opponents to an average of 65.6 points per game.

They’re also a team that has shown it can find different ways to win, utilizing lineup changes to get the right style of play out on the floor against its opponents.

Particularly after losing key players Gavin Baxter and and Richard Harward, it’s obvious the game plan for the men’s basketball team is going to be a bit different than what Coach Pope and his staff originally envisioned. Still, the Cougars have finished in the top 25 during the first two years of Mark Pope’s tenure — chances are good the stats-minded coach will be able to help his team make crucial adjustments to find success down the stretch.

Here’s to the Cougs winning a WCC title before making the jump to the Big 12!