I had no interest in the Super Bowl this year because I do not care one bit about New England or Seattle. Instead, I watched the UH vs BYU game a few times and ate some delicious Star Pizza.
The first thing that stands out is that the stat sheet in this game is very deceptive. On the surface, Milos Uzan’s stat line is unremarkable (2-10 FG, 2-5 3PT, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 1 steal). Some thought he had a bad night because of his shooting.
When I watched the game live, I thought he played great because he was very good defensively. I didn’t realize how good he was defensively until I focused on what he was doing. Most of the night, his assignment was Richie Saunders. Saunders is BYU’s second-best scorer, averaging 20 points on 49.6% shooting in Big 12 play. He had been playing well coming into this game, averaging 24 ppg over his last three.
That all came to an end on Saturday, thanks to Milos’ defensive effort, holding Saunders to 7 points (1/8 FG, 1/6 from 3). Milos did a great job on the ball and forcing tough shots. He did an even better job of denying Saunders the ball in the first place. You can’t score if you don’t have the ball.
If I were to take an educated guess on UH’s game plan, it was to contain Dybantsa and challenge him as much as you can, but do not let Saunders beat you. Unfortunately for Saunders, he is a terrible matchup with whoever UH is going to throw at him. Milos stalked him just about everywhere he went.
Going into the game, Saunders averaged 14.4 FGA per game in Big 12 play, but was held to 8 shots against UH. That’s the first time in Big 12 play he’s been held under 11 attempts in a game (the last Big 12 team to do it was UH in the conference tournament last year). It was his lowest field goal percentage of the season and the first time he’s been held to one make in almost two years.
To top off the performance, Milos played 40 minutes of mad-man defense like a true warrior.
Galen Robinson talks a lot about players finding ways to impact the game when their shots aren’t falling, and Milos game Saturday night was a prime example. Locking down last year’s Big 12 scoring champ says quite a bit about his contribution.
Next topic. UH won the battle of the offensive glass late in the game. With 7:22 left, the Cougars got the ball on a Chris Cenac steal. After a missed shot, Kalifa Sakho kept the rebound alive with three tips, and Cenac ripped it down and reset the offense. Sakho grabs the next miss (beyond the free-throw line, mind you), and UH resets again before Kingston finishes the possession with a bucket and one. All while burning nearly a full minute off the clock. Three tips, two rebounds, a bucket, a foul on BYU, and 57 seconds off the clock. That is a hell of a possession, and possibly the best one of the night.
And what a game by Sakho, who is really starting to come on. He has put together back-to-back very good games. In my world, that would be known as a streak.
Against UCF, he had 7 points and 7 rebounds in 23 minutes, and against BYU, he had 7 points and 4 rebounds and was 3/4 from the line. And more importantly, he is starting to get connected with everyone on defense. He is going to be an important piece to this puzzle, and we are now starting to see what this guy is capable of.
You have to love the direction this team is headed.
