Cougars head to Ames for Top-25 showdown against No. 10 Iowa State

PROVO, Utah - It's a Top 25 matchup in Ames, Iowa on Tuesday as No. 23 BYU travels to Hilton Coliseum to face No. 10 Iowa State. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.

WHERE TO WATCH
Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Dave Flemming and Chris Spatola on the call. 

READY FOR THE MAGIC
Tuesday will be the ninth all-time meeting between the two programs and second straight with both teams ranked in the Top 25. BYU is 1-7 all-time against the Cyclones, including a 0-4 record in Ames. 

BYU'S lone win in the series came on Jan. 16, 2024 when the Cougars defeated No. 24 Iowa State 87-72 behind a career-high 28 points from Spencer Johnson. The 87 points are still the most points allowed by the Cyclones under fourth-year head coach T.J. Otzelberger. Dallin Hall chipped in 11 points, eight assists and five rebounds, with Richie Saunders also reaching double figures with 12. 

FOUSSBALL
BYU opened March in the win column as the Cougars extended their win streak to six games with a 77-56 victory over West Virginia on Saturday evening. It was the second straight sell-out at the Marriott Center. 

The Cougars shot better than 50.0 percent from the field for a fourth consecutive game, going 29-of-55 from the field. The bench scored 43 points, the second-most the second unit has scored in a game this season. 

CALLS OF THE GAME: vs West Virginia pic.twitter.com/sQmt2yRPeu

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 2, 2025

Fousseyni Traore recorded his second double-double of the season and 21st of his career as the senior had 20 points and 10 rebounds, three of those coming on the offensive glass. He went 9-of-13 from the field and 2-of-4 from the free throw line in BYU's fourth straight win over the Mountaineers. 

Egor Demin scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half, including knocking down two of BYU's five 3-pointers. He also had three assists, six rebounds and drew six fouls. Richie Saunders extended his double digit scoring streak to seven games as the junior finished with 13 points, going 5-of-9 from the field and 3-of-3 from the free throw line. 

THE GUY IS A WINNER
Kevin Young's  21 wins this season are tied for the third most by a first-year head coach in program history. Only Stan Watts (22) and Mark Pope (24) have won more than Young in their first season at the helm. 

TWICE AS NICE
Richie Saunders was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for a second consecutive week after averaging 19.5 points per game in wins over Arizona State and West Virginia. The junior is one of four players to win the award multiple times this season.

PICK YOUR POISION
A game after knocking down a season-high 17 3-pointers, BYU tied a season low with five 3-pointers in its win over West Virginia, ending a five-game losing streak when making five or fewer triples in a game. It was the Cougars' first win when making five or fewer 3-pointers since January 7, 2024 when they went 4-of-15 in a 68-48 win at San Diego. 

As of Monday, BYU ranks first in the Big 12 and 10th nationally in 3-point field goals per game (10.7) while attempting the 24th most triples per game (28.6). The Cougars are 16-3 this season, including three straight wins when hitting 10 or more 3-pointers. 

The Cougars also own the highest effective field goal percentage in the league and fourth highest nationally (.578). They are 15-0 this season and have won 28 straight when shooting 50.0 percent or better from the field. They are also 20-1 when outshooting their opponents, with the only setback coming at TCU on Jan. 11. 

ALWAYS ON TARGET
Keba Keita is 12 for his last 12 from the field, with his last miss coming at the 16:45 mark of the second half in BYU's 91-57 win over No. 23 Kansas on Feb. 18. The junior transfer from Utah is shooting 66.7 percent from the field this season, which would be the highest in a single season in program history if the season ended today. 

As of Monday, Keita has the 21st highest field goal percentage among active NCAA Division I men's basketball. Fellow countryman and teammate Fousseyni Traore isn't far behind as he ranks 27th. The Cougars are the only school in the nation with two players in the Top 30.

SHOOTS TO WIN
Trevin Knell has made a lot of 3-pointers and won a lot of games, 102 wins to be exact, during his time at BYU. Not only does he rank second in games played, fifth in 3-point field goals made, fifth in 3-point field goal attempts, ninth in wins and 12th in 3-point field goal percentage, but he also owns the 17th highest wining percentage in program history (71.32 percent). 

The senior has been on fire from behind the arc especially on the road this season, shooting 55.1 percent from 3-point range en route to averaging 9.4 points per game. 

WE MUSTACHE YOU A QUESTION
Dallin Hall had six assists and zero turnovers on Saturday, marking the eighth time in his career that he had at least five assists and didn't turn the ball over. Through 93 games at BYU, Hall has the second-highest assist-to-turnover ratio in program history (min. 50 games played and 3.0 assists per game). 

The junior, who ranks 11th on the BYU all-time assist list with 384 dimes, is looking to become the just the second player in program history with multiple seasons with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.50:1 or higher (20 games played and 3.0 assists per game).

UP NEXT
BYU concludes the regular season on Saturday, March 8, when the Cougars host rival Utah at the Marriott Center. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT on ESPNU.