The BYU men's basketball team opened its 2020-2021 season on Tuesday night against Cleveland State. The Cougars grinded out a 69-59 victory to improve to 1-0 on the season. Here are my three takeaways from BYU's first game of the season.
1. Alex Barcello added to his game
You would be hard pressed to find a more efficient scorer in college basketball than Alex Barcello. Against Cleveland State, Barcello scored 24 points on only six field goal attempts. Barcello shot 5/6 from the field and 13/13 from the free throw line.
Most notably, were the added elements to Barcello's game. Against Cleveland State, Barcello hit multiple step back jumpers in critical moments for BYU. Last season, that was not a regular part of Barcello's game.
When you add the new elements to the existing cornerstones of Alex Barcello's game, he looks primed for a spectacular season.
2. Fousseyni Traore is a star in the making
To a casual fan checking box scores, true freshman Fousseyni Traore's performance against Cleveland State wouldn't jump off the page. Traore finished with five points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
For those that watched the game, however, Traore's presence was felt whenever he was on the court. Traore was fantastic on defense and on the boards, and he looked surprisingly polished on the offensive end.
BYU has a very good one on their hands in Fousseyni Traore.
3. Te'Jon Lucas
The pass-first point guard made his first start in a BYU uniform. Lucas didn't have the best night shooting the basketball going 2/7 from the field, but his impact was felt beyond the box score. Lucas is a gifted passer, and he was able to relieve Barcello of some ball-handling duties. That will pay dividends as the season progresses.
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