No. 25 BYU returns home, host West Virginia on Saturday

Saturday will be the fifth all-time meeting and first in Provo between the two programs.

Author Tyson Jex
No. 25 BYU returns home, host West Virginia on SaturdayNo. 25 BYU returns home, host West Virginia on Saturday
Nate Edwards

PROVO, Utah - No. 25 BYU returns to the friendly confines of the Marriott Center on Saturday, March 1, when the Cougars host West Virginia. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT.

WHERE TO WATCH
Saturday's game will be on ESPN2 with Rich Hollenberg and King McClure on the call. 

COUNTRY ROADS LEAD TO PROVO
Saturday's showdown will be the fifth all-time meeting between the two programs and the Mountaineers first-ever trip to Provo. The Cougars are 3-1 against West Virginia including a perfect 2-0 record as Big 12 foes. 

The Cougars five-game win streak began with a 73-69 win over the Mountaineers on Feb. 11 in Morgantown. They trailed by six with 6:33 remaining in regulation before finishing the game on a 17-7 run in with 10 of those points coming from Egor Demin. The freshman's free throw with 58 seconds remaining gave BYU a one-point lead before Mihailo Boskovic converted an old-fashioned 3-point play to seal the win. 

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STRAIGHT FIRE, NO SPARK NEEDED
BYU knocked down a season-high 17 3-pointers in Wednesday's 91-81 victory over Arizona State in the Valley of the Sun. It was the Cougars fourth straight win over the Sun Devils and tied for the fourth most 3-pointers in a single game in program history.

The Cougars shot 54.8 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three while struggling from the free throw line, going 6-of-15 from the charity stripe. They held a 36-30 advantage in rebounds while assisting on 21 of 34 makes, 10 of those coming from Egor Demin.

Richie Saunders led the Cougars in scoring for a 12th time this season as the junior finished with 26 points going 10-of-19 from the field and 6-of-11 from behind the arc. With his third straight 20-point performance, Saunders became the first Cougars since Yoeli Childs in December 2018 to score 20-plus in three consecutive games. 

Trevin Knell tied a Big 12 season-high with 18 points with the senior going 5-of-6 from behind the arc including making his first three attempts from deep. Dallin Hall scored in double figures for the third time in the past four games finishing with 13 points, four assists and a block. 

JUST LIKE WAFFLE HOUSE
BYU has been stacking wins like pancakes these few past weeks as their five-game win streak is the longest in conference play since the Cougars won nine straight to finish the regular season in 2019. 

In Wednesday's 91-81 win over Arizona State, BYU eclipsed the 90-point plateau in three consecutive games for the first time since November-December 2019. It also marked the first time they had done it in conference play since January 1979 in wins over New Mexico (100-83), Utah (90-76) and Colorado State (98-83). 

TWO OF A KIND
Egor Demin is one of two freshmen in NCAA Division I men's basketball with 10 or more assists in multiple games this season following his 10 assist performance on Wednesday. Sacred Heart's Mekhi Conner has done it four times including a career-high 16 in a win at Canisius. 

Demin's 144 assists this season are the second-most by a freshman in program history and two short of tying TJ Haws (2017-18) for the 20th most in a single season in program history. 

IT'S ONLY JUST BEGUN
With its win over Arizona State on Wednesday, BYU improved to 215-86 all-time when ranked. They are also 9-5 when ranked No. 25 in the AP Poll including a 5-0 record at home.

 

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NO COLONEL SA(U)NDERS, YOU'RE WRONG
Richie Saunders, the reigning Big 12 and Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, didn't skip a beat in Wednesday's win over Arizona State finishing with 26 points and tying a career-high with six 3-pointers. It marked the eighth time he has eclipsed 20 points in league play in 2024-25, the second-most of any player in the Big 12 as only UCF's Keyshawn Hall has done it more (10). 

Saunders is shooting a Big 12 high 46.6 percent from 3-point range (min. 2.5 3FG/game) in league play while ranking second in scoring (18.06), field goal percentage (.535) and 3-point field goals made( 48). The Riverton native is two 3-pointers away from becoming the third Cougar to connect on 50 or more 3-pointers in conference play.

DR. KNELL'S OFFICE, HOW MAY I ASSIST YOU?
Trevin Knell is known around the program as 'The Shot Doc' but the senior tied a season-high with four assists on Wednesday, all of them coming in the first half. The Cougars are 12-0 when the North Salt Lake native has three or more assists.

THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE
Dallin Hall is two assists away from 100 for the third consecutive season as the junior ranks 11th in program history with 378. 

Over the past four games, Hall is averaging 10.8 points, 5.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from three and 61.5 percent from the free throw line. He has 20 assists to only six turnovers as BYU has outscored opponents by 15 points per game, 89.5-74.5. 

UP NEXT
BYU hits the road for the final time of Big 12 play on Tuesday, March 4, when they travel to Ames, Iowa to take on No. 9 Iowa State. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.