BYU Beatdown game chat - 1/31 3:30 CT
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You know after thinking about for a little bit I’m going to give mad props to this team and staff for not getting caught up in the hype of this game. 1000th game in the most historic building in the game, 32 NBA executives in the building, about a dozen former players including Paul who hadn’t been back since legends of the Phog, likely the top 2 picks in June with the possibility of 5 of these guys going in round 1 and to top it college game day was in town. We came out hungry and focused, looked like a veteran group that the moment wasn’t too big for.
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@approxinfinity If you knew me you'd say 'steve is such a pessimist'!! I really kind of am a glass half empty guy and while I want to try to see your viewpoint, the way today ended was a big negative for me.
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@ROCKCHALK2025 said in BYU Beatdown game chat - 1/31 3:30 CT:
Well guys great win and yet I think we all know now we have our answer, or we all should know.- -With Darryn we for sure can make a legit final four run. -- ----WITHOUT Darryn nope no way, we still probably when a couple without Darryn BUT FINAL FOUR facing brutal reality without thats about the best we could do
It’s all about how the bracket plays out, I think we could be a FF contender with DP and would likely say S16 max without him. But it all depends on the match ups, we want to stay away from teams with 2 skilled bigs imo. I think we have guards to go very far not sure yet on if Tiller and Flory can play consistently.
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@BShark said in BYU Beatdown game chat - 1/31 3:30 CT:
Elmarko is hurt as well (had a brace on his knee). Did we see anyone sub in the 2nd half after Jamari subbed in for Darryn? I honestly don't believe so.
DP sat at 16:46. After that last Tiller sub, the remaining starters didn't get a rest. Self said they were gassed.
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@approxinfinity said in BYU Beatdown game chat - 1/31 3:30 CT:
@wissox83 these takes are killing me. Im glad we all care. And variety is the spice of life. But seriously, there have been many players where if we got what we got from DP in 20 for their 30-35 we would have been stoked. This feels to me like a “this is different, so it must be bad” reaction, but we just won 4 games in a row by healthy margins. Team chemistry is good. Other players are stepping up when needed. We should be happy with this team right now, imo, very much including DP.
We finally got to see how awesome this team can be when everybody is on, and contributing, in the first half. I was actually thinking, holy crap, we have a hell of a team that could really make a run in March, now that everybody is back and healthy. I really thought these health issues were behind us. So it was just very disappointing when we realized late in the 2nd half that the situation hasn't changed. We can't rely on DP.
I don't blame him. I'm grateful we got to see such a fantastic display the first half from our entire team. But the 2nd half was a surprising disappointment. And people respond to disappointment differently.
We have a great team without DP, but we are frickin' awesome with him. I'm really enjoying this season, watching everybody come together. I love all 4 of our reliable regular starters - 3 have been a very pleasant surprise. We expected Flory would be a beast; Tre and Melvin are studs with experience, and the one freshman starter is finally growing into his potential. I'm going to enjoy the rest of the season with these guys. But man, DP is something else. He really elevates this team. We could have a special season if we could count on him.
So I am certainly happy with our team. I just fear it will end up as an "if only" kind of season. I'll enjoy it regardless. But if only Lucy would let Charlie Brown finally kick that football...
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@tundrahok Last week Arizona led BYU by 19 in the second half and by 11 with 63 seconds left and BYU had the ball under their basket with 15 seconds left and missed the winning shot. They came back against the #1 team in the country better than they did against us. Maybe they are just resilient and really good also. I'm not upset about their big second half. We were a mid 70's scoring team without DP and we scored at our average in the second half. Kudos to Jamari for his play all game. Eight points, three boards, two assists and zero turnovers.
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I think what we are seeing with DP is that his legs are strong enough to play half a game, but his injuries all season make him vulnerable. No one can possibly say the guy who leads Div 1 in first half scoring isn't giving it his all. But doing that comes at a cost of injuries. Taking himself out might be what Self wants him to do to avoid worse injuries and total unavailability down the line, a la Embiid.
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I keep avoiding saying that this is a deliberate tactic but Big Picture Bill sees another deep run. It takes a super talented player to even consider this. Whatever is happening is working after a season high of five straight wins and a tie for third in this top heavy league. The rest of the team righted the ship by themselves to make this work and payback dunks against MU, KSU and now BYU show an edge and belief in themselves. I swear to Doctor Phog Allen that Bryson Tiller smiled.
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If UCF could host the South Region it might get interesting for them.
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@BeddieKU23 awesome!
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@tundrahok "But if only Lucy would let Charlie Brown finally kick that football..."
It wouldn't matter. Charlie would be rusty from sitting on the bench. Plus, his hamstring hurts, his quadriceps hurt, his ankle hurts, he's worried about what the fans are thinking and his agent doesn't want him to kick. He's making plenty just watching.
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@Tallturd1 Absolutely, BYU is a great team who has especially shone in the 2nd half of their games. We have a great team too. But when DP plays, our team is on another level. So I get it if people get frustrated when his health precludes his participation.
But if he can help us to a 20-pt halftime lead every game, I'll take it! -
Some day after takes:
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Yesterday's game confirmed somethings we already knew: Council is a stud and Peterson is a shocking talent but cannot play in second halves.
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Bryson's 3-ball may be a legit weapon.
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The media narrative is, once again, wrong. This was hyped up as Dybansta vs Peterson. Neither one was even a top-5 player on the court the other day. I would rank the performers as: 1. Saunders 2. Tiller 3. Council 4. Wright 5. Bidunga 6. Peterson 7. Dybansta
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Allen Fieldhouse continues to be the greatest arena in sports
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Interesting rankings.
1st half- Peterson best player on the floor
2nd half- Saunders best player
Bidunga changed the game defensively in limiting Dybansta then Saunders late. I think he was the MVP of the game overall. Clutch free throws from him late after clanking a bunch earlier.
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@BeddieKU23 I agree. But the first half is not the whole game so Peterson can't be rated higher than other players who produced more than he did
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@Tallturd1 said in BYU Beatdown game chat - 1/31 3:30 CT:
@tundrahok Last week Arizona led BYU by 19 in the second half and by 11 with 63 seconds left and BYU had the ball under their basket with 15 seconds left and missed the winning shot. They came back against the #1 team in the country better than they did against us. Maybe they are just resilient and really good also. I'm not upset about their big second half. We were a mid 70's scoring team without DP and we scored at our average in the second half. Kudos to Jamari for his play all game. Eight points, three boards, two assists and zero turnovers.
^^^^ I agree... This is the way to look at it.
In summary, BYU vs Arizona was at home, which probably helped their comeback. But BYU is really good. Arizona is better.
One other way to interpret: 1st half, DP went bonkers on them and we had a ~20 lead. Second half, no DP and Saunders went equally bonkers on us. The difference was ~10pts. KU > BYU. (That's KU with 50% of DP. Not KU with 0% DP. Not sure whether KU without DP would beat BYU, even on a historic day at AFH.)
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Also, for those who are old enough to remember... I think Melvin Council Jr. reminds me of Milton Newton.. Am I wrong about that? I know everyone throws out the Tyshawn Taylor comparisons, but he moves like Newton and has instincts that seem similar.
I really am enjoying this group when they play zesty.
Final 2cents: A team that can play effectively at 2 speeds -- like we did in the first half (and stockpile a healthy lead) and then slow it down, work the clock with precision possessions -- is a winning team. I think we have room to improve on both, but you have to be impressed with the ability to (first) attain a 20pt lead, and (second) withstand a spirited comeback against very strong team.
You have to do that in March... often with a thinner margin of error. Yesterday was good practice.
Rock Chalk!
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I see ESPN hasn't updated their "attendance" amounts!!
3:30 PM, January 31, 2026
Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, KS
Attendance: 16,300 -
@BeddieKU23 said in BYU Beatdown game chat - 1/31 3:30 CT:
Interesting rankings.
1st half- Peterson best player on the floor
2nd half- Saunders best player
Bidunga changed the game defensively in limiting Dybansta then Saunders late. I think he was the MVP of the game overall. Clutch free throws from him late after clanking a bunch earlier.
Agree.
Flory's contributions yesterday are overlooked because they aren't showing up on the stat sheet as you point out.
Or maybe, at closer look, they are showing up on the stat sheet by omission. Wasn't Dybansta the #2 scorer in D1 prior to the game?
Tiller's performance yesterday was undeniably impactful and the most pleasant, unexpected, surprise.
But MVP probably was someone else. Not sure who -- because DP was sensational when he was playing and Council was also clutch. Flory for MVP is a pretty good choice.
