SAN DIEGO, Calif. - BYU will look to bounce back from its first loss of the season on Friday, Nov. 29, when the Cougars face NC State on day two of the Rady Children's Invitational at LionTree Arena in San Diego, Calif.
WHERE TO WATCH
The game will be broadcast on Fox with Cory Provus and Robbie Hummel on the call.
LEARN AND MOVE ON
BYU suffered its first defeat of the season on Thursday, Nov. 28, with a 96-85 overtime loss to No. 23 Ole Miss on the opening day of the Rady Children's Invitational. The loss ended BYU's 13-game November win streak and extended Ole Miss' non-conference win streak to 19 games.
BYU was outshot for the first time this season, 40.6-48.4, as they were held under 50.0 percent from the field for the first time since the season opener against Central Arkansas. They also turned the ball over a season-high 17 times resulting in 23 points off turnovers for the Rebels. The Cougars were also outrebounded for the first time with Ole Miss scoring 12 second chance points, eight less than they had allowed in the previous five games combined.
BUILT DIFFERENT
Entering Friday's contest against NC State, Fousseyni Traore is shooting 61.2 percent for his career making him one of six active NCAA Division I players to be shooting over 60.0 percent from the field (min. 400 FG).
UNREAL HAMMER! 😱 Fousseyni Traore threw it down! @BYUMBB pic.twitter.com/3EvAXuHJEs
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 29, 2024
With his 16-point peformance against No. 23 Ole Miss, Traore moved into a tie for 43rd on the all-time scoring list with 1,109 points.
STARTING TO CATCH ON
Kanon Catchings has scored in double figures in consecutive games for the first time in his career after tying a career-high against No. 23 Ole Miss. 12 of his 17 points came in the opening 20 minutes where he went 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
. @kanoncatchings FEASTIN' on Thanksgiving.
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) November 28, 2024
4/4 from deep.
📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/xFgCZDDb6f
The 6-foot-9 forward would finish the game with five 3-pointers, tied for the eighth-most in a game by a freshman in program history. Through six games as a Cougar, Catchings ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game.
MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF
With four assists in Thursday's setback to Ole Miss, junior Dallin Hall moved up to 20th on the all-time list passing former All-American Alex Barcello (2019-22).
Through 70 career games including 53 starts, the native of Plain City has 289 assists leaving him 11 short of becoming the 19th player in program history with 300 or more career helpers. He has three or more assists in 28 consecutive games including a career-high 12 dimes in BYU's win over West Virginia on Feb. 3, 2024.
The 6-foot-4 guard also has a knack for taking care of the ball as his 2.49:1 is the second-highest in program history (min. 50 games played and 3.0 assists per game).
DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS
Friday will be the sixth all-time meeting between the two programs and marks the second straight season they have met in a multi-team event, NC State leads the all-time series 4-1 with three of those four wins coming in Raleigh, N.C.
Last yearís win for the Cougars ended a four-game losing streak to the Wolfpack that dated back to New Yearís Ever 1952.
UP NEXT
BYU heads across the country to face Providence on Tuesday, Dec. 3, in the Cougars first true road game of the season. Tip is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET and will air on FS1.
