PROVO, Utah — The Kevin Young era officially gets underway on Tuesday, Nov. 5, when BYU hosts Central Arkansas in the opening game of the 2024-25 season. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT at the Marriott Center.
Where to Watch
Coverage on ESPN+ begins at 6 p.m. MT with the BYUSN Countdown. Dave McCann and Blaine Fowler will be on the call alongside 2011 Naismith Player of the Year Jimmer Fredette, with Spencer Linton serving as the sideline reporter.
King of the Mountain
BYU defeated Colorado Christian 93-49 in front of 16,323 fans on Wednesday evening in the BYU's final exhibition before the beginning of the 2024-25 season. In a game where they never trailed, the Cougars shot 58.5 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from three and 65.0 percent from the free throw line in their second exhibition win over Colorado Christian in the past four seasons.
CALLS OF THE GAME🎙 | BYU vs Colorado Christian pic.twitter.com/GESvbagJEw
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) October 31, 2024
Kanon Catchings was one of four Cougars to score in double figures as the freshman finished with a game-high 19 points. The native of Brownsburg, Ind. went 8-of-11 from the field including a pair of makes from beyond the arc.
Trevin Knell was the second leading scorer for BYU as the senior knocked down five of this eight attempts from 3-point range to finish with 17 points. Dawson Baker scored all of his 12 points in the second half, while Richie Saunders finished with 15 points, five rebounds and a block.
. @Keba_Keita_13 smacked that into next week😅 pic.twitter.com/yU7GEAzjFB
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) November 4, 2024
Keba Keita filled the statsheet for the Cougars finishing with two points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocks. In 25 minutes of action, Egor Demin registered 11 assists, six rebounds, two steals and a block.
Starting Off On The Right Foot
The Cougars enter Tuesday's season opener having won 13 straight non-conference home games, including a 9-0 record last season. In fact, BYU has won 28 of its last 30 non-conference home games dating back to the beginnging of the 2019-20 season.
Preseason Expectations
After finishing fifth in its first season in the Big 12 in 2023-24, BYU was picked ninth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll voted on by the league's head coaches.
Four different schools received first place votes with No. 1 Kansas picked to win the league, four points ahead of No. 4 Houston and No. 5 Iowa State.
First Time for Everything
Central Arkansas is the one of three schools that BYU will face this season for the first time in program history. All three make the trip to Provo and the Marriott Center.
Scouting Central Arkansas
First-year head coach John Shulman takes the reins of the program after a five-year run at Alabama-Huntsville, where he led the Chargers to five NCAA Tournament appearances, accumulating a record of 112-39.
Elias Cato is the top returner for the Bears after averaging 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures as a junior including the final six games of the seasons where he scored a career-high 23-point peformances in the season finale against North Alabama.
Looking Ahead
BYU continunes its five-game homestand to begin the season when the Cougars host UC Riverside on Friday, Nov. 8. It will be the Highlanders' first trip to the Marriott Center since a 91-62 victory for the Cougars on Nov. 20, 1999.
