We escaped a well-coached and smart Air Force Academy team Monday night 50-47.
I don't know what it was, but we started the game really lethargic. Air Force started the game on an 8-0 run and basically set the tone the rest of the night.
It was hard to get an efficient transition game going and it was a challenge to run our offense.
But the biggest headache of the night was guarding the Falcon players.
They would run the shot clock down to about 10 or 12 seconds before they would shoot the ball. Their offense is complex, with numerous back cuts that make it an effective offensive attack.
Even though it was a boring game, we got the victory and that is all that matters. We have to step it up this weekend when we play against Brigham Young University on Saturday and against the University of Utah on Monday night.
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BYU is a precise team, which means it knows every detail of its opponents. The Cougars know your strengths, weaknesses and favorite moves, not to mention all your plays.
Last year BYU swept us during conference play, and it also botched our chances of going to the NCAA Tournament by beating us in the Mountain West Conference Tournament championship game.
Once again, BYU is not the most talented team, but it has good chemistry and it knows what it takes to win. Scouting the Cougars is hard in itself because they have numerous plays. Roughly, they have anywhere from about 20 to 30 plays. Not to say that they will use all those plays against us, but we have to know what they can do so that we are prepared.
Another thing that makes BYU tough is that the average age on the team is about 24. The majority of them have gone on a Mormon mission and have families. So they will not be intimidated very easily. It will be a tough game, but it will also be a challenge we have to meet.
Then, two days later we have to come back and play the infamous Utah Utes. This team is very similar to BYU because the coaches scout the opposition very well. Utah will probably know our plays inside and out.
There have been some instances where we have called out a play and the Ute players would call it out too and know exactly what we were going to do. I have to admit that this game is going to come down to who makes the better basketball plays.
The reason is because we are going to know their plays like they know ours, so that neutralizes the plays. From there, it will come down to who is the smartest and wants it the most.
This weekend is going to be tough if we come out and play like we did against Air Force, but if we do what we are supposed to do, which is to defend and execute our plays and if everyone is clicking, we should be fine.
Our destiny is in our own hands, and we can't point the finger nor blame anyone else for it.
Enjoy the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
