Can No. 9 Cougars extend winning streak to 11 games against Arizona State?

One of the best things about playing basketball in the Big 12 is that there is no such thing as a trap game, even when a matchup with your fiercest rival is on the horizon.

That has been BYU coach Kevin Young’s message to his team this week as it prepares for a Wednesday night showdown (7 p.m. MST, Peacock), its Big 12 home opener, at the Marriott Center with reimagined Arizona State (0-1, 9-5), a team that features three explosive scorers and a savvy, experienced and fiery coach, Bobby Hurley.

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BYU (1-0, 13-1) finishes the week playing at rival Utah (0-1, 8-6) on Saturday, but Young said there will be no looking ahead. The Sun Devils have too much talent to overlook, and they were one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the country until their last three games, losses at UCLA and at home to Oregon State and Colorado.

Utah (0-1, 8-6) will play at Colorado on Wednesday night before hosting BYU in the Huntsman Center on Saturday night in what will be the first coaching meeting of Young and Alex Jensen, who also came to the college ranks from the NBA.

“To be honest, I haven’t even thought about Utah,” Young said Tuesday afternoon. “We’re extremely locked in on Arizona State and trying to make sure we are dialed in for them. They are a good team, much better than they were last year.”

The Cougars swept the Sun Devils last year, winning 76-56 in Provo and 91-81 in Tempe.

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Young said Arizona State is “totally different” than it was last year, with sophomore guard Trevor Best the only holdover from a squad that went 4-16 in league play and 13-20 overall. Another familiar face on the ASU roster is 6-foot-8 redshirt sophomore Marcus Adams Jr., who played sparingly for BYU in 2023-24 before Young arrived in Provo. He’s averaging 3.6 points and 2.4 rebounds off the bench.

Pacific/Pepperdine transfer Maurice “Moe” Odum leads them in scoring with a 16.6 average, while NAIA University of the Cumberlands transfer Anthony “Pig” Johnson…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/no-9-cougars-extend-winning-002527966.html

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Publish date : 2026-01-07 00:25:00

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