Despite the struggles, BYU may finally have a legit bench
When trying to explain why the Cougars have failed to make the NCAA Tournament despite having players such of Elijah Bryant and Eric Mika on the roster, one easy boogeyman would be the BYU bench – or the lack thereof. There were plenty of games the last few seasons where the total number of points from the reserves could be counted on one hand.
That wasn’t the case last night, with BYU’s bench combined for 20 points and played a big part of the team’s ability to stick with Nevada without Childs. It wasn’t the most efficient performance from the group (6/19 shooting) but the confidence to take the shots was a big difference from the past.
Four players played in double-figures and while it was expected that McKay Cannon, Gavin Baxter, and Connor Harding would get some run, Rylan Bergerson getting 13 minutes was a nice surprise. The 6’6 sophomore got to the free throw line and used his size to cause problems on the defensive end in the zone. He’ll get minutes in those lineups throughout the season. Assuming Worthington and his limitations keeps him on the bench for the most part, this new crop of reserves is an improvement from the last two years.
A 16-point loss is never fun for a team and with NCAA Tournament aspirations, the game getting away from BYU late will sting a bit. But between the bench’s improvement and Hardnett starting to emerge, there’s hope for the Cougars going forward. And we’ll see them play again soon, with a revenge game against Utah Valley this weekend.