‘Super disappointing’: UCF domination leaves BYU with whiplash

Whiplash!

The best of times and the worst of times for BYU all happened within four days at the Marriott Center. Saturday night’s inspiring 79-69 upset of No. 6 Iowa State preceded Monday night’s mind-boggling 97-84 loss to UCF.

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A capacity crowd sat stunned as they watched the Knights hit one wide-open 3-point shot after another, including 11 in the first half. When they got tired of shooting outside, UCF went straight to the rim and built a 36-point lead.

“It’s important in these moments to not overreact but say what needs to be said and move on, and that’s how we are going to handle this game.”

BYU coach Kevin Young

BYU’s tenacious focus on defense and rebounding, which was too much for Iowa State to overcome, never gave UCF a second of trouble in a game where the Knights never trailed. The out-of-towners, who are fighting for their own footing in the NCAA Tournament, added the Cougars to a growing list of conquests that also include No. 17 Kansas and No. 11 Texas Tech.

“I have just as many questions as you have for me,” head coach Kevin Young told BYUtv. “It’s super disappointing, especially on the heels of the Iowa State game. I thought we had our group in a good place. I did not expect that and (I’m) just super disappointed.”

BYU’s reversal of fortunes started at the opening tip. Unranked UCF walked onto the Marriott Center floor dressed in their home white uniforms and then played like they were in Orlando.

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The Cougars rolled out black jerseys with royal trim for a promotional “Black Out” night and performed like they were the team 1,900 miles from home. In the early moments that mattered the most, BYU looked lethargic and lost while the Knights were having the time of their lives.

To their credit, the Cougars didn’t quit and the coaches didn’t stop coaching. Young tried every player combination possible, but nothing worked before a late push to reduce the final deficit to 13.

The loss dropped the Cougars into…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/super-disappointing-ucf-domination-leaves-193836135.html

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Publish date : 2026-02-25 19:38:00

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