BYU Men's Basketball: 2012-13 season predictions

As we discussed in my last post, this year's edition of the BYU men's basketball team is especially deep. Even with the loss of Stephen Rogers, coach Dave Rose has 11 scholarship players and one veteran walk-on (Craig Cusick) seriously vying for minutes this season.

But what will that deep bench yield for BYU this season? Here are some predictions about the 2012-13 season:

1. BYU will win 25-30 games. Dave Rose is making a habit winning 25+ games and this season will be no exception. More than 30 wins is not out of the question but I am not expecting it.

2. BYU will place second or first in the WCC regular season. The WCC title will go through Spokane this year. BYU could certainly win the WCC regular season title, but it will take some exceptional play to beat Gonzaga for it.

3. Brandon Davies will average 20+ points per game. Davies certainly has the talent to do so, he mostly needs to have the drive to make it happen.

4. Tyler Haws will average 15+ points per game. Dude gets buckets from all over the court.

5. Three BYU players will be named to All-WCC teams after the season. Most likely Davies, Haws, and Carlino.

6. BYU will average 38%+ from three and 48%+ from the field overall. If they do they will be very hard to beat.

7. BYU will win its way into the finals of the WCC tourney. I'm not ready to predict a win there yet though.

8. BYU will get a 5-8 seed in the NCAA tournament.

9. BYU will advance at least to the field of 32 in the Big Dance. That will be a feat because it has happened only twice since the early '90s, and Jimmer led the way in those two cases. If BYU really can shoot as well as I predicted in #6 and stay healthy, a Sweet 16 berth could be in the cards.

What say you? Do you think these predictions are overly optimistic or not optimistic enough? What are your predictions for the coming season?