Oats had recognized a weakness in BYU's ball-screen coverages — the Cougars going under screens and giving the ball-handler space as opposed to chasing him over the top of the screen — and put an emphasis on it in the team's scouting report.

"They had been going under ball-screens just about every game we watched," Oats said. "I told both those guys, [Aden] Holloway and Sears, man, I hope they go under us because we're going to rain 'em ... With their personnel, we knew that once they started going under, they always collapse. They kind of have to. They got away with it against some teams that don't space like we do. But I told these guys going in, if you move the ball ... our offense is designed to beat a defense like this."