BYU, Kansas State clash on Saturday evening

Saturday's game will be the 10th all-time meeting between the Cougars and Wildcats.

Author Tyson Jex
BYU, Kansas State clash on Saturday eveningBYU, Kansas State clash on Saturday evening
Nate Edwards

PROVO, Utah - BYU returns to the friendly confines of the Marriott Center this weekend when the Cougars host Kansas State on Saturday, Feb. 15. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT.

WHERE TO WATCH
Saturday's contest will be aired on ESPN+ with Ted Emrich and Tim Welsh on the call. 

BATTLE OF THE 'CATS
It will be the 10th all-time meeting between the two schools and third since BYU joined the Big 12 last season. The Cougars are 4-5 against the Wildcats, with three of those wins coming in Provo, including a 78-72 victory in the Cougars' first-ever game at the Marriott Center on Jan. 3, 1971. 

In the teams' last meeting in Provo on Feb. 16, 2024, Fousseyni Traore led the Cougars to a 72-66 win with 14 points and eight rebounds. Trevin Knell also reached double figures with 10 points, knocking down all three of his free throws in a game where BYU shot 47.6 percent from the charity stripe.

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FOUND THEIR WAY HOME
Egor Demin scored 10 of his team-high 16 points in the final 6:25 as BYU outscored West Virginia 17-7 en route to a 73-69 victory over the Mountaineers on Tuesday evening in Morgantown. 

BYU became just the third team to make 10 3-pointers against the Mountaineers, going 10-of-28 from behind the arc in their second-straight win over West Virginia. Kanon Catchings led the second unit as the freshman finished with 11 points, going 2-of-3 from three and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

TIME TO FINISH THE JOB
Trevin Knell is five points away from becoming the 54th player in program history with 1,000 points, as the senior has scored 995 points in 138 career games. The North Salt Lake native is one of seven players in program history with 200 or more 3-pointers and is two makes away from moving up to fifth on the all-time list, passing Chase Fischer (2014-16). 

PROTECT HOME COURT
The Cougars are 11-2 at the Marriott Center this season, marking the 20th consecutive season they have won 10 or more home games in Provo. BYU picked up its 650th win at the Marriott Center earlier this season with its 93-89 overtime victory over Baylor.

BYU is 11-4 at home since joining the Big 12, including wins over No. 11 Baylor and No. 24 Iowa State last season. 

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FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Egor Demin was named to Europe's 20 under 20 by FIBA earlier this week alongside Texas Tech's Christian Anderson. The 6-foot-9 guard ranks second on the team in scoring at 11.3 points per game shooting, 42.5 percent from the field, 27.6 percent from three and 65.6 percent from the free throw line. His team-high 113 assists are the fifth-most by a freshman in a single season in program history.

STELLAR SECOND UNIT
BYU's second unit ranks third in the Big 12 and 21st in the nation in bench points per game with just under 30 points per contest. The Cougars are 14-5 this season when their bench outscores the opponent.

Tuesday's win over West Virginia marked the fourth time this season that the Cougar bench outscored the starters (38-35) and the first time it resulted in a victory since beating Wyoming at the Delta Center on Dec. 14, 2024. 

SPEAKING OF HOME-COURT ADVANTAGE
BYU is one of eight schools in the nation averaging more than 16,000 fans per game this season, as the Cougars rank seventh with 16,828 fans. They have had over 16,000 fans in all but two games this season and more than 17,000 in four straight Big 12 games. A sellout on Saturday would be their first since last season's Senior Day victory over Oklahoma State. 

UP NEXT
BYU continues the home stand on Tuesday, Feb. 18, when the Cougars welcome No. 17 Kansas to Provo for the first time since 1960. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on ESPN.