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BYU's Kanon Catchings (6) takes a shot against Texas Tech in a Big 12 men's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

Nate Edwards, BYU Photo

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BYU's Dallin Hall (30) take a shot against Texas Tech in a Big 12 men's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

Nate Edwards, BYU Photo

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Shooting the basketball is easy.

Shooting the basketball accurately in game situations can be hard.

BYU keeps insisting it has good shooters on its roster, and at times, that’s been correct. But the first three Big 12 games have revealed troubling trends behind the arc and at the charity stripe.

Against Arizona State, Houston and Texas Tech, the Cougars shot a respectable 44% (71 of 163) from the field. Not amazing, but acceptable.

BYU is 23 of 78 (29%) from the 3-point line in those three games, which is well below acceptable levels. Still, the Cougars lead the Big 12 in 3-pointer made per game (10.5). BYU is 66% (33-50) from the foul line, which includes a costly 12 of 21 (57%) in the loss to Texas Tech in the Marriott Center.

Three games is a small sample size, sure, but BYU certainly needs to turn those numbers up.

Cougar head coach Kevin Young was asked after the loss about his confidence level that the shooting will come around.

“Extremely high,” he said. “We’ve got a team full of really good shooters. I think we started out 1 of 10. I thought in the first half we got wide-open looks. They didn’t go in. In the second half, they (Texas Tech) turned up their defense. They did a good job on Trev (Trevin Knell) and Richie (Saunders), crowding those guys. But especially at home, to start off 1 for 10 from three, that was disappointing. I thought we could have really opened it up a lot more in the first half. But more than 3-point shooting is free throw shooting. You’ve got to be able to knock free throws down in a close game.”

Solutions? Young offered this.

“You try to give the guys confidence. I think it’s more mental than it is a physical thing. We’ll spend some times with our mental coach there with some of our guys, but there’s no magic trick to step up and knock them down and move on.”

Junior guard Dallin Hall: “I know it wasn’t a good night for me. We’ll get reps in practice, but it’s just about settling down. I think the last few games, we’ve been doing really well as a team and we kind of had a hiccup today. Just settling in and shooting with confidence, that’s mostly what free throws are about.”

Meanwhile, BYU will takes its shooting problems on the road with Saturday’s game at TCU in Fort Worth.

“I feel like it (the team’s confidence level) is still high,” Hall said. “I feel like the coaches do a great job of setting the game play. It’s just a little adversity. There’s still a lot left in the season. It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. We’ve going to be ready. We’re going to head to TCU with great confidence, as we should, because I feel like you’ve got to have confidence.”

For success on Saturday, Young has a simple solution.

“We’ve got to make shots, number one,” he said. “That’s a huge part of any team. We’re a pace and ball movement team, and with that you’ve got to be able to make shots. Then on the road, you’ve got to dig into the details much more, which we have not done. So this will be a really good opportunity to lick our wounds and have to go out and do it the hard way on the road.

“I’ve got a locker room full of great guys who want to do the right thing and I look forward to their response as we try and go get that first one on the road.”

SCOUTING REPORT

BYU’s two true road games this season have not gone well. The Cougars trailed by 25 points at Providence on Dec. 3 and lost by 19 (83-64). On Jan. 4, Houston led by as many as 35 points in a 86-55 romp at the Fertitta Center, a 31-point victory.

TCU is 8-6 overall and 1-2 in Big 12 play after losing to No. 12 Houston 65-46 on Monday. The Horned Frogs are 8-0 at Schollmaier Arena this season, including a 63-62 win against Kansas State on Jan. 4.

Six of TCU’s top eight players are transfers for ninth-year head coach Jamie Dixon, led by former Green Bay standout guard Noah Reynolds (11.8 points, 4.6 assists per game). Guards Frankie Collins (Arizona State) and Trazarien White (UNC-Wilmington) have good size — they are both 6-foot-6 — and are averaging 11.2 and 10.4 points per game, respectively.

The Horned Frogs defend the 3-pointer well (3rd in the Big 12 at 29%) but are last in offense (70.5 points per game), so the home team would prefer a low-scoring, defensive battle on Saturday.

Men’s College Basketball

BYU (10-4, 1-2 Big 12) at TCU (8-6, 1-2 Big 12)

Saturday, noon MT

Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth, Texas

TV/Streaming: ESPN2

Radio: KSL 102.7/1160

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: BYU is 20-3 all-time against TCU and has won 17 straight games in the series. … The Cougars beat the Horned Frogs 87-75 in the Marriott Center last season, rallying from a 17-point halftime deficit. … TCU’s last win the series came in 1997, a season where BYU finished 1-25. … The Cougars also started 1-2 in the Big 12 last season, losing to Cincinnati at home and at No. 14 Baylor before beating UCF in Orlando.