ORLANDO, Fla. - BYU will play three of its next four games on the road, beginning with a trip to Orlando on Saturday, Feb. 1, to face UCF. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET at Addition Financial Arena.
WHERE TO WATCH
Saturday's contest can be found on ESPN+ with Drew Fellios and Sean Harrington on the call.
AND TO ALL A GOOD (K)NIGHT
Saturday's game will be the fourth all-time meeting, with the Cougars winning all three matchups last season, including their first-ever Big 12 win on Jan. 13, 2024.
TAKE AND MAKE GOOD SHOTS
With its overtime win over Baylor on Tuesday, BYU improved to 11-0 this season when shooting over 50.0 percent as the Cougars went 32-of-58 from the field en route to their second straight win over the Bears. BYU ranks first in the Big 12 and 12th nationally in effective field goal percentage at .573.
THE CUT | vs Baylor pic.twitter.com/cX8zlN22Ku
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 30, 2025
The Cougars have won 24 staight games when shooting over 50.0 percent, with the last loss coming at San Francisco on Jan. 21, 2023 in their final season as a member of the West Coast Conference.
TRY TO CATCH THEM ALL
Kanon Catchings had the best performance on his young career on Tuesday as the native of Brownsburg, Ind. finished with a career-high 23 points, becoming the first freshman this century to go 8-of-8 from the field while going 4-of-4 from three and 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
He’s not the best Catchings in the family—yet. That would be his aunt, Tamika @Catchin24. But, @BYUMBB freshman, Kanon Catchings, put on a show for @nba scouts last night. Promising long-range NBA potential. @Big12Conference @coach_paint pic.twitter.com/8eBhiCFyvX
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) January 29, 2025
He is just the sixth player in program history to score 20-plus in a game without missing a shot, joining the likes of Kresimir Cosic and BYU's all-time leading scorer Tyler Haws.
STARTING SOMETHING NEW
BYU is in the midst of its longest win streak in Big 12 play following wins over Colorado, Cincinnati and Baylor. A win on Saturday would not only exted the win streak to four games but would be the first time the Cougars have won back-to-back road games since December 2021.
BENCH BOYZ
Kanon Catchings scored 23 of BYU's season-high 45 bench points in the win on Tuesday, the most by its second unit since a 46-point performance in the Cougars' win over Bellarmine on Dec. 23, 2023. It also marked the third time this season that BYU's bench has scored 40-plus.
The Cougars led the Big 12 and sit 20th in the nation in bench points per game at 30.5. They are 12-4 this season when the second unit outscores their opponent.
A FEW GOOD MEN
With his six assists against Baylor, Egor Demin became the eighth freshman in program histoy to have 100 assists in a single season. The 6-foot-9 guard ranks second in the Big 12 and 24th nationally in assists per game.
ROLLIN' WITH RICHIE
Richie Saunders has scored in double figures in six consecutive games, the longest streak of his career. During that stretch, Saunders has scored 20 or more points three times en route to averaging 19.5 points per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from three and 81.8 percent from the free throw line.
UP NEXT
BYU returns to the friendly confines of the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Feb. 4, when the Cougars host Arizona. Tip is scheduled for 9 p.m. MT.
