Loss to No. 20 Arizona showed Cougars have some issues to overcome, but Kevin Young still bullish on his ‘top 25’ team

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BYU guard Dallin Hall (30) passes the ball out while guarded by Arizona guard Grant Weitman (15) during a game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. Hall was a bright spot for the Cougars during loss to the Wildcats. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

BYU’s excruciating 85-74 loss to No. 20 Arizona at the Marriott Center on Tuesday night was disappointing on many levels for the Cougars.

Their four-game winning streak was snapped.

Their NET ranking dropped to 34, and their Kenpom.com rating dropped to 33.

Their opportunity to pick up a Quad 1 win and earn a bit more respect in the Big 12, with a huge crowd of 17,274 fans and a national television audience (ESPN) looking on, fell to the wayside.

It was one of those losses, which included a late-game collapse, that can seriously damage a team’s confidence, although kudos must be given to the Wildcats. They are good, well-coached, and getting better as the calendar turns to February.

However, first-year BYU coach Kevin Young remains resolute. He took the opportunity in his postgame news conference, when asked about the lessons that were learned from the loss, to reiterate that nobody has thrown in the towel, as it were.

“We have to learn that we are as good as any team in the country, and I firmly believe that. I think we can play with any team in the country, honestly.”

BYU coach Kevin Young

“We have to learn that we are as good as any team in the country, and I firmly believe that. I think we can play with any team in the country, honestly,” Young said. “I think the internal belief has to continue to grow, which I think it has over the course of this last five games. That is what you do. You answer the call. We have guys in our locker room that are capable of doing that, and we will continue to push them to do that.”

Arizona (16-6, 10-1), which is tied with Houston (18-4, 10-1) atop the Big 12 standings exposed some of the Cougars’ weaknesses, most notably their lack of size inside. The Wildcats won…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/loss-no-20-arizona-showed-223000066.html

Author : Deseret News

Publish date : 2025-02-05 22:30:00

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