BYU basketball: Cougars are still trying to play consistent ball

PROVO — To a college basketball coach, the primary purpose of nonconference basketball games is discovery.

"That's kind of what you have to get through in your non-conference schedule, is find out who is comfortable in what roles, what guys are playing well, the combinations of players that play well, and I think that's what we're going through right now," said BYU coach Dave Rose, whose team will host Wagner tonight at 7.

Nine games into the season, however, Rose likes what he's seeing and still believes this 8-1 Cougar team has the potential to be very good. But he's also seeing the same thing fans are seeing — stretches of excellence and stretches of inconsistency.

"I think we're still in the process of finding out what this team is most comfortable with, how this team is most comfortable playing," he said.

Surprisingly, two players that haven't struggled with consistency are freshman Tyler Haws and sophomore Noah Hartsock. Haws has been starting since the game at Hawaii, and Hartsock was inserted into the starting five against San Francisco.

"That's two spots where I think we're really getting better," Rose said.

Against Fresno State last weekend, Hartsock hit 4-of-5 shots and grabbed 11 rebounds. For the season, he's shooting 67 percent from the floor and averaging more than five boards per game.

"Offensively, he's a guy that takes opportunity shots, shots that are there, and he's shooting a high percentage," Rose said.

Hartsock says he's comfortable with his new role as a starter and feels the minutes he's getting in that role will also help if he's asked to go back to coming off the bench. He credits his consistency to his aggressiveness on both ends of the floor, and because opponents are paying more attention to BYU's other players.

"I'm just trying to take advantage of that," Hartsock said.

Haws has combined to score 34 points and pull down 15 rebounds in BYU's last two wins. He's also shooting 49 percent from the floor and 84 percent from the free-throw line, and is second on the team in minutes played. He, too, credits his success in part to the attention opponents are giving to teammates Jimmer Fredette, Jackson Emery and Jonathan Tavernari.

"I knew that I could help and that I could provide some good minutes, but it's been fun to be able to play the way I am," Haws said. "Hopefully, I can keep producing and keep helping the team ... but confidence is a big thing at the college level, and you have to believe that you can play and compete at this level. I feel that I can."

Consistency could be a problem tonight against Wagner, considering the week the Cougars have had with finals and other holiday-related events. They didn't practice on Monday and had lighter-than-normal practices on Tuesday and Wednesday.