BYU’s Alex Barcello and Te’Jon Lucas have played some of their best basketball after halftime.

It’s no coincidence.

There aren’t many more experienced backcourts in the country and the Cougars have benefited from their ability to adjust and make plays as the game goes on.

BYU coach Mark Pope said he appreciates the connection he has with those two players.

“That’s kind of the link in coaching that sometimes we forgot,” Pope said. “It’s not just what you know as a coach or what you see as a coach or your ideas as a coach. That’s actually a dime a dozen a little bit. But it’s like how can you actually put that inside players so they can execute it?

“It’s not just about making an adjustment. It’s about ‘is this an adjustment that our guys can make on the fly? Is this an adjustment Player A and Player B can make and how is that adjustment going to affect Player C?’

“It is an unbelievable luxury to have guys who can make this adjustment and they can make it because these guys are experienced and functional enough to do it. It’s a gift as a coach to have players who can make those adjustments.”

Barcello, who leads the team with 16.8 points per game, is the focal point of every single opponent’s defensive game plan, so his adjustments are probably the most difficult. He faces double teams and other devices intent on slowing him down. Lucas is the team’s second leading scorer (10.2 points per game) and leader in assists. He scored 10 of his 12 points in Saturday’s 71-69 victory at San Francisco in the second half.

“I’m pretty sure Coach has a lot of confidence in us when he tells us what he sees,” Lucas said.

Barcello and Lucas are passing along that experience in practice to the scout team, which includes returned missionary freshman Trey Stewart.

Pope said Stewart is an “elite defender” who often causes big problems for Barcello and Lucas in practice.

“Trey Stewart makes us better,” Pope said. “One hundred percent, with no doubt we’re not as successful as we are without all those (scout team) guys. They literally win games for us. They come challenge us every day and help us get better. What they learn from Alex, not just on the court but how he conducts himself in the locker room and in interviews, it’s unbelievably important in everything we do.”

Scouting Report

San Diego, which finished just 3-11 overall and 2-7 in league play last season with a COVID-shortened schedule, was picked to finish ninth out of 10 teams in the WCC preseason poll. Heading into Thursday’s meeting at BYU, the Toreros are 10-7 overall and 3-1 in league, tied with the Cougars for second place behind top-ranked Gonzaga.

“I’m super excited for Burge (assistant coach Chris Burgess),” Pope said. “This is the fourth scout he’s prepared for San Diego but the first one we’ve played. They are good and they are tied for second place in the league with us. They’ve gotten to 3-1 without two of their best players and I think they’ll have a full roster for us.”

Third-year coach Sam Scholl remade San Diego’s roster this summer. Saint John’s transfer Marcellus Earlington averages 13.8 points per game for the Toreros and other transfers including Yavuk Gultekin (Texas A&M), Terrell Brown-Soars (Providence), Vladimir Pinchuk (New Mexico), Jace Townsend (Denver) and Josh Parrish (Rice) have all made significant contributions this season.

After losing to San Francisco 88-73 to open WCC play, San Diego has won three in a row against Pepperdine (72-62), Portland (68-63 in OT) and Loyola Marymount (70-65).

“Our veterans know the next game we play will always be the hardest game we’ll play,” Pope said. “You want to exhale but that’s not how this league works. I remember last year, Pacific wasn’t having its best year but we had to save our season in overtime against them. At San Diego two years ago, we had to save our season with a last-second play. These games are always hard.”

Men’s College Basketball

San Diego (3-1, 10-7) at BYU (3-1, 15-4)

Thursday, 7 p.m. MT

Marriott Center, Provo

TV: BYUtv

Radio: KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM, BYU Radio, Sirius XM 143/BYU radio app

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: BYU leads the overall series 17-6. … The Cougars won twice in 2020, but both games in 2021 were postponed and never made up. … San Diego has won three games in a row against Pepperdine, Portland and Loyola Marymount. … Those is attendance on Thursday will be required to produce a vaccination card or recent negative COVID-19 test. Masks will be required as well.

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