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An undefeated BYU team traveled to the East Coast to challenge themselves with a big early-season test against USC.
But the Cougars forgot to take their 3-point shot. Or any shot at all.
As it turned out, BYU was overtaken and overtaken by Trojans, 79-53, at Mohegan Sun Arena in the Roman Legends Classic in Uncasville, Connecticut on Tuesday afternoon.
BYU, which led the nation in 3-point shooting last season, and was among the best so far this season, shot an abysmal 23% (7 of 30) at 3 points. Overall, the Cougars shot 19 of 69 from the ground, an icy 27.5%.
USC, on the other hand, shot 53% from the field, with 61% in the second half.
After three double-digit home wins last week, reality fell Tuesday for BYU.
“Super disappointing. It’s not just a loss. It’s a real guts check and a reality check. It’s a test to see who we are, ”Cougar coach Mark Pope said. “We have been exposed in many ways today. In a really horrible way.
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Drew Peterson, from Southern California, left, rides for a basket as BYU’s Trevin Knell defends himself during the game, Tuesday, Dec.1, 2020, in Uncasville, Conn.
Photo AP / Jessica Hill
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Drew Peterson of Southern California appears to pass as he cuts between defense for BYU’s Matt Haarms, left, and Brandon Averette, second from right, during the game on Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2020, in Uncasville , Conn.
Photo AP / Jessica Hill
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BYU’s Matt Haarms blocks a shot attempt by Isaiah Mobley, of Southern California, right, in the first half of the game, Tuesday, Dec.1, 2020, in Uncasville, Conn.
Photo AP / Jessica Hill
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Evan Mobley, of Southern California, left, shoots BYU’s Kolby Lee during the game, Tuesday, Dec.1, 2020, in Uncasville, Conn.
Photo AP / Jessica Hill
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BYU head coach Mark Pope chats with his team during the first half of the game against Southern California on Tuesday, December 1, 2020, in Uncasville, Conn.
Photo AP / Jessica Hill
BYU has fallen to 3-1 this season, while USC has improved to 3-0.
Tuesday’s game was meant to be a chance for the Cougars to start building their NCAA tournament resume. The 26-point decline had an immediate impact on BYU’s national standing – in the wrong direction. According to kenpom.com’s ranking, BYU went from No.79 to No.94 immediately after the loss.
The Pope blamed himself.
“A terrible performance as a head coach. I did not help my team at all. It can never, ever happen as a basketball team, ”he said. “We need to do some soul-searching tonight and find out who we are. We play this program, we put these guys in a really, really tough situation, without a doubt, to know who we are. We have to find out who we are. Incredibly disappointed and curious and determined to see if we can understand and react the right way.
Cougars won’t have to wait long for a chance to respond. They face St. John’s at Mohegan Sun Arena on Wednesday (3 p.m. MST, ESPN2).
BYU led USC 18-17 with 8:39 left in the first half. From there it was a steep fall for the Cougars, blow after blow after blow fail to find the net.
In short, not much has happened for BYU in the last 28 minutes of play.
The Cougars finished the first half with just one of their last 19 field goal attempts and failed to score in the 4:49 final of the half.
USC, meanwhile, finished the half in a 14-2 run. BYU went just 9 for 37 from field (24%) and 2 for 16 from 3-point territory (12.5%) in the first half.
Still, the Cougars trailed only 11 points, 31-20, at intermission.
Unfortunately for BYU, things got worse as that deficit kept growing. The Cougars followed to 30 (79-49) late in the game.
BYU had used his superior size and depth to his advantage in his three wins last week. But USC, who have a lot of height, length and athleticism, have turned out to be on a very different level as an opponent.
The Trojans were led by their formidable frontcourt stars, brothers Evan and Isaiah Mobley. Evan, a 7-foot freshman, scored 17 points and lowered 11 rebounds, while Isaiah, a 6-11 sophomore, finished with 11 points and 11 tables.
But the Cougars probably weren’t expecting a 19-point high from USC goalie Drew Peterson. Meanwhile, Santa Clara Tahj Eaddy’s transfer added 16 points for the Trojans.
“I know USC is a good team. They have length, ”Pope said. “We didn’t feel good from the start. We were a little stagnant. We just couldn’t get started. It is incredibly disappointing. ”
One of the many questions for BYU is: Was this game an aberration – attributable to a bad shooter – or are there some deeper issues that this team needs to solve?
In the short term, will the Cougars be able to bounce back against St. John’s?
“We will find out. It’s gonna be a miserable night. This is the process and you have to follow the process. We’re going to see who we are, ”Pope said. “The whole world will see who we are tomorrow. We will find out for ourselves. One of the great things about sports is that when you have a historically horrible night like this, you have the chance to go and prove that it is an anomaly and not the norm.
“We will be tested tomorrow. This agreement we are entering into tomorrow is a real buzzsaw. There will be nothing easy about it. It’s going to test us deep within ourselves. It is an exciting place. We have to ring the bell. We’ll see if we can do it.
St. John’s have beaten Saint Peter’s, LaSalle and Boston College so far this season.
For Pope and his team, it’s time to regroup and reassess.
“Our job is to understand and improve it. We need to. We have to respond, ”he said. “We’re going to cry and cry … a little here and recognize this performance for what it was and learn from it.” It’s going to be really painful for the next few hours because it deserves to be and that’s how it is.
“What we need to do is become constructive. This transition is really difficult, it is the key to life. This is how you react to the game and we’ll fix it. There is no way we can walk on the ground like this tomorrow. There is no way. It will not happen.
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