PROVO, Utah — No. 8 BYU returns to the court on Saturday, Nov. 8, when the Cougars host Holy Cross in their home opener. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT at the Marriott Center in Provo.
WHERE TO WATCH
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler and Jarom Jordan on the call.
The game will also be available on BYU Radio SiriusXM 143, KSL 102.7/1160 AM, BYURadio.org/BYU Radio app and BYU Cougars app with Jason Shepherd and Mark Durrant on the call.
FIRST OF ALL
Saturday will be the first all-meeting between the schools that are separated by 2,447 miles or a 35 hour drive according to Google Maps. It will also be the Cougars' first game against a school that is a current member of the Patriot League since December 28, 1973, a 81-72 win over Army.
YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME
No. 8 BYU opened the season with a 71-66 victory over Villanova on Monday evening at the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas. With the win over the Wildcats, the all-time seres is now tied 2-all with both of the Cougars' wins coming at neutral sites.
In his official collegiate debut, AJ Dybantsa scored a team-high 21 points for the Cougars, going 9-of-18 from the field, 1-of-1 from 3-point range and 2-of-7 from the free throw line as the Cougars won their seventh-straight season opener. Richie Saunders and Robert Wright III also reached double figures for the Cougars, finishing with 15 and 14, respectively.
In the win, BYU shot 39.4 percent from the field, 29.4 percent from the free throw line and 66.7 percent from the free throw line. It won a game for a third time since November 2022 when making five or fewer 3-pointers. In fact, two of those three wins have come during Kevin Young's two seasons in Provo.
After leading by 10 at halftime, BYU saw itself trailing by two, 59-57, with 6:28 remaining the game following a 3-pointer from Bryce Lindsay. The Cougars got stops on the defensive end while Dybantsa and Wright III would combine to score eight of the next 10 points for the Cougars over a five-minute period to lead 67-59 with under two minutes left in regulation. Saunders sealed the victory from the free throw line with a pair of freebies after the Wildcats had made it a two-possession game in the final seconds.
KYU
BYU head coach Kevin Young went 15-2 at the Marriott Center in his first season in Provo, tied for the most wins at home by a first-year head coach in program history. Under his guidance, BYU finished the regular season on an eight-game win streak with four of those victories coming in Provo including a 91-57 victory over No. 23 Kansas in front of a sold-out Marriott Center.
YOU GOT TO START 'EM YOUNG
Kevin Young has started at least one freshman in every one of his 37 games at BYU, with AJ Dybantsa beginning his collegiate career in the Starting 5 on Monday.
Former Cougar and current Brookly Net Egor Demin started in all 33 appearances last season, with Kanon Catchings getting the starting nod in the first 15 games before coming off the bench.
ENTER TO LEARN, GO HOME HUMBLED
The Cougars enter Saturday evening's matchup with the Crusaders having won their previous 19 home openers, including a 88-50 victory over Central Arkansas last season, the largest margin of victory in program history for a coach in his first win.
BYU has 34 of its last 36 non-conference games at the Marriott Center, including 20 straight victories dating back to the 2022-23 season.
GOING TO BE A BUSY SATURDAY
Saturday will mark the 20th time since the beginning of the 2015 season that BYU men's basketball and football will play on the same day.
The basketball team has won 11 straight games when the two teams cross paths, including a pair of games last season (Mississippi Valley State, Idaho). The two teams last won on the same day on December 17, 2022 when the hoopsters defeated rival Utah and the gridiron Cougars defeated SMU in the New Mexico Bowl.
