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BYU Basketball: 2018-19 keys for the Cougars to upset Gonzaga

By Tristan Freeman

RENO, NV - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars watches a playing during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Brigham Young Cougars at Lawlor Events Center on November 6, 2018 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images)
RENO, NV - NOVEMBER 06: Head coach Dave Rose of the Brigham Young Cougars watches a playing during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Brigham Young Cougars at Lawlor Events Center on November 6, 2018 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 06: Brigham Young Cougars fans cheer after the team scored against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 06: Brigham Young Cougars fans cheer after the team scored against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the championship game of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs won 74-54. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

BYU Basketball has a chance for a season-defining win at home versus No. 4 Gonzaga. Here are the keys for the Cougars to pull off the upset.

Few teams have looked as sporadic this season as BYU Basketball 13-9 (5-2), who despite being tied for second-place in the WCC, have still struggled to consistently be a quality team. They already have a pair of road beatdowns by around 20 points, while struggling to put away the teams in the bottom half of the league.

The hope for Cougars fans is that they turned the page in the right direction last week, beating Saint Mary’s, 71-66. Yoeli Childs led all players with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while TJ Haws dropped 17 in the win. It was by far the best defensive effort for the team, limiting the Gaels to 5-20 from three-point range while winning the turnover battle by a +13 margin.

BYU remains at home this week for their toughest test of the season in Gonzaga 19-2 (6-0). Ranked No. 4 in the country with a win over No. 1 overall ranked Duke on their resume, the Bulldogs may have their best team in school history. Now fully healthy, they’ve dominated the WCC, winning by an average of 31 ppg so far in conference play. Gonzaga is just coming off of a 59-point thrashing on the road at Santa Clara, with six player scoring in double figures.

While the Bulldogs have been the better team, BYU has had some recent success against the Bulldogs in WCC play. They’ll hope that continues with a close game at home on Thursday. But to actually get the win, they’ll have to follow these three keys.