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Provo • You guys, again?
A week after rolling past Loyola Marymount 91-80 in a game that was much closer than that score suggests, the BYU Cougars will face the Lions on Thursday night at the Marriott Center.
Welcome to the crazy West Coast Conference schedule this season, which is nothing if not quirky. Saturday, the fourth-place Cougars (14-7, 5-3 WCC) will host third-place Pepperdine seven days after falling 71-65 to the Waves in Malibu.
"There are some real issues [with the conference schedule]," BYU coach Dave Rose said Wednesday after practice at the Marriott Center, a place the Cougars have seen only four times in their past 16 games.
It will be better next year, Rose said, as the league scraps its plan to begin play before Christmas. Because of the way the calendar falls, there will be a nine-week schedule, with no byes, in 2016-17.
Rose said the coaches are in favor of the change, but that doesn't help things now.
Now the emphasis is on getting his team to play together better for 40 minutes, rebound better and execute better down the stretch. Despite the 11-point win on LMU's court, the Lions (10-10, 3-6 WCC) showed they are a dangerous team with the talent to pull off an upset after having led 50-40 at halftime.
The Cougars are 8-0 at home, but haven't played at the Marriott Center since a 102-92 win over San Francisco on Jan. 9.
"I think the most important thing for us, especially a team that hasn't played at home for a long time, is we have to understand that it is not the building that wins the game or loses the game for you," Rose said. "It is how you execute. This team, especially, how we share the ball with each other [is a real key] to watch because that's what leads to winning."
Teamwork, or lack thereof, has become the theme for the 2015-16 Cougars, and has again been stressed in three practices this week after BYU had 10 assists against Pepperdine.
"For me, as a point guard, it is a big responsibility, just to try to get in the lane and find somebody an open three, or a dump-down [pass] to a big man," senior Kyle Collinsworth said. "So, there is that mindset, to get your teammate a shot, get your buddy a shot. When you start doing that, the ball comes back around to you and everybody ends up shooting just as much, if not more."
Almost halfway through the WCC season, the Cougars are pointing to last year — when they reeled off eight straight wins to conclude league play — as inspiration to put together another big run. Seven of their final 10 league games are at the Marriott Center.
"The second half of conference, the big emphasis for us is one game at a time," Collinsworth said. "Every game is thee championship game. Because in reality, it is for us. One more loss, or another loss, takes us right out of the picture. … The second half we are really working on having that mindset of one game at a time, no matter who it is against."
Rose and the players said Thursday's game will be entirely different than last week's game because both teams will make adjustments. For BYU, that means slowing down LMU junior Adom Jacko, who scored 26 points and had 12 rebounds. Foul trouble kept the junior college transfer from inflicting more damage.
Freshman forward Jakob Hartsock, who hasn't appeared in a game since Jan. 7, a stretch of five DNPs, has been practicing with the "blue" team this week and is expected to see some significant playing time. Sophomore Jamal Aytes has been relegated to the scout team in practice in an effort to get him more touches and more repetitions.
"Hopefully if [Hartsock] gets a chance in the game, he can really take advantage of it," Rose said.
Twitter: @drewjay —
BYU vs. Loyola Marymount
P Tipoff • Thursday, 9 p.m., Marriott Center, Provo
TV • ESPNU; Radio • 1160 AM, 102.7 FM, Sirius XM 143
Records • BYU 14-7, 5-3 WCC; LMU 10-10, 3-6 WCC
Series record • BYU leads, 9-4
Last meeting • BYU 91, LMU 80 (Jan. 21, 2016)
About the Cougars • They are playing at home for the first time since Jan. 9 and have played at home four times in their last 16 games. … Junior F Kyle Davis had a 3x5 at Pepperdine with four points, four rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals. … Nick Emery has seven 20-point games, fifth-most by a BYU freshman.
About the Lions • They have lost five straight games to BYU, including last Thursday's 11-point setback at Gersten Pavilion. … F Adom Jacko is the WCC Player of the Week after the loss to BYU and a win over San Diego and is averaging 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. … G Brandon Brown averages 13.1 ppg.