BYU vs Oregon Recap: Cougars fall to Ducks in NCAA Tournament

The absence of Kyle Collinsworth, abysmal shooting (32%), and being outscored 49-10 off the bench proved to be too much for the Cougars to overcome as they fell to the Ducks 87-68 in the Round of 64 in NCAA Tournament.

The Cougars started Matt Carlino in Collinsworth's absence, marking Carlino's first start since the Cougar's Dec. 30th loss to Pepperdine. Carlino started the game ice cold, shooting just 1-8 (0-3 from beyond the arc) in the first half. The bench play of the Ducks helped propel them to a strong start, and they would never look back as they advanced to the Round of 32 to take on the Wisconsin Badgers

First Half Stats and Recap

The Ducks found themselves with an eight point lead going into halftime after shooting 44% from the field. The Ducks received much needed help from the bench, where they found 21 first half points. Coming off the bench for Oregon was Elgin Cook, who led both teams in first half scoring with his 10 points on 4/4 shooting. Oregon was also able to grab 14 points from the free throw line in the first half.

BYU couldn't find a way to consistently score, and they went into halftime shooting just 28% from the field. Contrary to Oregon, the Cougars couldn't find any help off the bench with only 5 bench points (all from Frank Bartley). Tyler Haws led the Cougars in scoring in the first half with his 9 points, but couldn't find consistent help from anyone else. Haws was the only Cougar to make more than one basket from the field in the first half. The Cougars trailed by as many as 14 at one point in the half.

Second Half Stats and Recap

The Cougars shot slightly better in the second half, raising their field goal percentage to 32%. Midway through the half they were able to cut the lead down to 3 points following a pair of Carlino 3 pointers, seemingly breathing life back into the Cougars. Oregon then countered with 28-8 run over the next few minutes to jump ahead to a 23 point lead, ultimately sealing the game.

BYU continued to receive minimal help from the bench, finishing the game with just 10 bench points, all from Bartley.

The Cougars couldn't seem to stop Elgin Cook, who usually averages 6.6 ppg but put up 23 points to go with his 8 rebounds today. Cook's 23 points led all scorers. Cook is a native of the Milwaukee area, and sure made himself feel right at home in today's game.

Collinsworth's absence was certainly felt today, and without him on the court the Cougars just lacked the firepower to keep up with the high scoring Ducks. Shooting only 32% from the field isn't going to win you very many NCAA Tournament games (let alone any games at all), and the Cougars chose the wrong day to go ice cold from the field.

This marks the Cougars 7th tournament appearance in the last 8 years.