Big 12 showdown at Houston will tell us a lot about Kevin Young’s first BYU basketball team

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BYU head coach Kevin Young talks with guard Trevin Knell during a game between BYU and Wyoming at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News

HOUSTON — For exactly a month now, BYU’s basketball team has sat on that 83-64 loss at Providence College on Dec. 3 in which the Cougars were embarrassed by a Friars team that has proven to be mostly mediocre with a 7-7 overall record.

Sure, the Cougars won their next four games in December by an average of 28.2 points, including Tuesday’s 76-56 blasting of Arizona State in their Big 12 opener, but none of those contests were played in front of a hostile crowd, as the Providence game was.

That means Saturday’s Big 12 showdown with No. 14 Houston at the 7,035-seat Fetitta Center (noon MST, ESPN+) marks the first opportunity in a month for BYU (10-2, 1-0) to make amends for that abysmal showing on the East Coast, and obviously first-year coach Kevin Young’s squad is eager to show they have what it takes to win on the road.

“I think more than anything the Providence game just woke everybody up, led by me,” Young said. “We learned a lot in that game. Probably the best thing that has happened to us to this point. I think our guys are ready to take what we learned there on the road, against a really good Houston team that played really well in their opener, too. So yeah, I think we are all really excited for the opportunity.”

Kelvin Sampson-coached Houston (9-3, 1-0) was picked to finish second in the Big 12 behind Kansas, and has played some of the best teams in the country, with close losses to Auburn, Alabama and San Diego State. The red-wearing Cougars have wins over Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Butler and most recently a 60-47 victory over Oklahoma State last Monday in their Big 12 opener.

“I think more than anything the Providence game just woke everybody up, led by me. We learned a lot in that game. Probably the best thing that has happened to us to this point.”

BYU coach…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/big-12-showdown-houston-tell-211734121.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2025-01-03 21:17:00

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