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NCAA Tournament: Examining BYU’s Loss to Ole Miss in the First Four

By Chris Godfrey

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The BYU Cougars led Ole Miss 49-32 at halftime of their First Four meeting in Dayton, Ohio. However, the Rebels stormed back to score 62 second half points (!!!!!!!) in route to outgunning BYU by 21 points in the second half of what turned out to be a 94-90 victory for Mississippi.

While social media was still abuzz in reference to the result, I consulted Busting Brackets’ clipboard aficionado, Randy Sherman, looking for answers to explain the Cougars epic tournament collapse.

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If you’re not familiar with the work of the man that I affectionately refer to as Coach Sherm, you should probably check out any of the “Coach’s Clipboard” pieces he’s contributed to Busting Brackets this season. His visually interactive style of breaking down college basketball is on par with anything else you will find on the internet. All of his posts are essentially worthy of must read status.

Sherman has coached basketball for decades, but he now works as the owner and founder of Radius Sports, consulting other coaches by reviewing game footage and practice plans.

I was genuinely excited to pick his brain in the aftermath of the Cougar collapse. His insight is usually a cut above the standard grade. These are the best parts of our postgame exchange.

Me: If you’re BYU head coach Dave Rose, what do you say to your team when you’re up 17 at the half? Would you have altered your gameplan in the locker room?

Coach: I would not have (altered the game plan). I would have kept the same game plan, at least until the under-eight (media) timeout.

Me: So you would have continued to shoot at a pace of nearly 15 seconds per possession?

Coach: Yes, that is who they are. One thing I noticed was that in the second half, they (BYU) dribbled into their break more. In the first half they were “pitching ahead” (to start their transition offense). In the second half they were still playing fast but (Kyle) Collinsworth dribbled them into their offense.

Me: How did that hurt them?

Coach: They (BYU) like to shoot rhythm threes off a hard push and ball reversal. They shot lots of those in the first half. In the second half, they relied on more manufactured looks off  dribble hand-off action. BYU got their shots on the move in second half, making it harder to square and shoot. In the first half, everything came with their feet set due to ball reversal and extra passes.

Me: From an offensive strategic standpoint, why was Ole Miss able to get back into the game? Did you notice any changes in their approach?

Coach: Ole Miss established MJ Rhett inside, and BYU went to playing more zone defense. I think they were trying to protect Collinsworth from fouling out by playing the zone. Check the game stats. I would bet that Ole miss ate on the glass in the second half. It was harder for BYU to rebound out of a zone in the second half.

(Note: I did check the stats. BYU had 22 rebounds at half and finished with 39. Ole Miss had 24 boards at the half and finished with 43. Most of the Rebels’ first half rebounding margin was due to offensive rebounds. Their defensive rebounding picked up after the half just as Sherman hypothesized.)

Me: Any other thoughts that you gathered from the game?

Coach: Tempo. I thought Ole Miss would fatigue (due to BYU’s fast pace), but they didn’t. Sometimes, the worst thing that can happen to a team like BYU is halftime; not only because they were hot from outside, but also because it gives the opponent an opportunity to recoup. The 20-minute halftime let Ole Miss get off the ropes.

For more of Coach Sherm’s perspective on college basketball, follow him on Twitter: @ShermSports

Next: Fixing the First Four

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