Bench could give BYU a huge postseason boost

Dave Rose has room to tinker.

Will that help him this week at the Mountain West Conference tournament and beyond? Like in the NCAA Tournament, where the Cougars have encountered famine? Rose has never had this kind of productive bench depth before. But is it enough?

Charles Abouo notched his BYU career high of 22 points last Saturday, three days after freshman Brandon Davies got his with 21 at Utah. And that came four days after Michael Loyd posted his own with 19 against New Mexico.

Flexibility, adaptability, fresh legs and more fouls to sacrifice on defense. It could work.

"The key," said Abouo, "is like the last TCU game, it makes a huge difference if we have guys come in and play tough defense and rebound. If we do that, we have good things happen to us, and it's been that way all season."

Those recent offensive point explosions by BYU bench players has more to do with defense than anything, according to Abouo. "Defense triggers everything for us," he said. "It gets our transition game going, it lead to easier shots and more points."

The four losses for the 28-4 Cougars could be summed up in just that: A lack of BYU rebounding and defense in losses to Utah State, New Mexico (twice) and UNLV.

The threat of finding somebody who'll do just that subbing for a starter, or the ability to switch a matchup with a different body type and energy, is one thing Rose hopes works today as the Cougars play TCU for the second time in six days and the third time this season.

"We have a deep team this year," said Abouo. "We work hard in practice and coaches find ways for us to contribute. That's helped our team and it's an asset."

What BYU's bench has shown, according to assistant head coach Dave Rice, "is just how prepared they are day in and day out in practice."

This year's MWC tournament might be one of the most exciting in years, with talk of four teams receiving NCAA bids come Sunday. It's a week where the satisfied can be upset. Underdogs like Air Force scratch and claw till bloodied and raw.

The Lobos are on a run, albeit after they showed vulnerability to lowly Air Force in the Pit. The Cougars have depth, but UNLV haunts them here. UNLV has home-court advantage but can be taken down by sharpshooters. San Diego State has enough firepower to make it to the finals. Colorado State is the dark horse. Utah is capable if an offense is discovered.