No. 9 BYU faces rival Utah on Saturday evening in Salt Lake City

The Cougars are 135-131 all-time against the Utes.

Author Tyson Jex
No. 9 BYU faces rival Utah on Saturday evening in Salt Lake CityNo. 9 BYU faces rival Utah on Saturday evening in Salt Lake City

PROVO, Utah - No. 9 BYU and its 11-game win streak make the short trip up Interstate 15 to Salt Lake City on Saturday, Jan 10, to take on rival Utah at the Huntsman Center. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. MT.

WHERE TO WATCH
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN with Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham on the call.

FRIENDS OR FOES?
Saturday will be the 267th all-time meeting between the Cougars and Utes. BYU leads the all-time series 135-131 but has lost three of its last five visits to the Huntsman Center including a 73-72 setback in overtime last season.

Saturday will be Richie Saunders third and final game at the Huntsman Center as the senior guard averaged 14.5 points per game, shooting 44.0 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from three and 42.9 percent from the free throw line in his first two visits up North. Keba Keita also returns to the ëUí where he began his collegiate career appearing in 66 games for the Utes before transferring to BYU. 

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THE ROAD WARRIORS
The Cougars enter Saturdayís showdown on a five-game road win streak, tied for the sixth-longest active streak among NCAA Division I menís basketball programs. During that streak that began with a 73-69 win over West Virginia in Morgantown, BYU is averaging 86.2 points per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the field, 40.9 percent from three and 69.9 percent from the free throw line. They are also assisting on 59.3 percent of their field goal makes. 

Their overall 11-game in streak is tied for the 19th longest in the nation, and their 10-game conference winning streak makes them one of just five schools nationally to win 10 or more consecutive league games. 

SECOND HALF STARS
The Cougars scored a season-high 59 second half points in Wednesday's win over Arizona State as they hit the century mark for the first time in a Big 12 game. It was the most points scored after halftime for the Cougars since putting up 59 against Bellarmine on Dec. 22, 2023.

They own the nation's top Net Rating (40.2) and Offensive Rating (138.4) in second halves this season with the second-highest effective field goal percentage (64.4). They are also shooting 15.3 percent better from 3-point range in the second half than the first half this season. 

WINNING WITH A TARGET ON THEIR BACK
BYU is 10-3 all-time ranked No. 9 in the AP Poll including five straight wins, all of those coming this season including their only ranked win of the season over No. 23 Wisconsin at the Delta Center. 

The Cougars have been ranked in the Top 10 for a program record nine straight polls as they opened the season ranked in the Top 10 for the first time in program history. Their 11 straight wins as a ranked team are the second-most in a single season, one behind tying the record set back in 1980.  

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DID YOU THROW A TRIDENT?
Entering into Saturday's game against the Utes, the trio of AJ Dybantsa, Robert Wright III and Richie Saunders have combined to score 67.1 percent of BYU's points so far this season. 

The Big 3 outscored Arizona State on Wednesday as their 81 points is tied for the seventh-most points in single game by three players and most in a regulation games since Jimmer Fredette (38), Charles Abouo (25) and Jackson Emery (18) combined for 81 against Wyoming on March 5, 2011. 

PUSHING THE PACE
With 23 points against Arizona State, AJ Dybantsa continued to stay ahead of Danny Ainge in his quest to break the freshman scoring record. The 6-foot-9 freshman has 347 points, 23 more than Ainge had during his first 15 games at BYU. 

With 24 points on Saturday against the Utes, Dybantsa would move into 10th on the all-time freshman scoring list passing Devin Durrant, who scored 370 points in 35 games as a freshman in 1978-79.  

WE WILL BLOCK YOU
The Cougars recorded a season-high 10 blocks in the win over the Sun Devils which is the tied for the ninth-most in a game in program history and most since they had 11 rejections in a win over Mississippi Valley State on Nov. 11, 2017.

Abdullah Ahmed had five of those blocks giving the sophomore nine blocks in three games.