BYU Cougars || 17-8, 6-7 || Big 12 Conference
WHAT'S AT STAKE?
With a win, BYU would notch its 18th victory under first-year head coach Lee Cummard, marking the 24th season in BYU history with 18 or more wins. It also marks BYU’s most wins in a season since the 2021-22 campaign, which culminated in a trip to the NCAA Tournament, besting 16 wins in both 2022-23 and 2023-24.
HOT STREAKS AND COLD SPELLS ON THE ROAD
BYU is 4-4 in road contests this season, matching its road win total from 2024-25. The Cougars finished last season 4-8 on the road. A win at Colorado would give BYU its most road wins in a season since 2022-23 (6-6). The Cougars went 3-1 in their first four road games, averaging 75 points on 40.8 percent shooting and 31.2 percent from three, while holding opponents to 61.8 points on a 36.9 percent clip. BYU also averaged 45.5 rebounds, 14.3 assists and 11.5 steals.
Over the last four road contests in which the Cougars are 1-3, the Cougars have averaged just 60.5 (-14.5) points on 34.1 (-6.7%) percent from the floor and have given up 72.3 points on a 41.6 percent clip and 35.6 percent from deep. BYU has averaged 38.3 boards (-7.2), 13.8 assists (-0.5) and 9.5 (-2.0) steals.
SHARING THE SPOTLIGHT
BYU has 13 players on the active roster and has seen contributions from all over the lineup this season. Eight different Cougars have led the team in scoring this season, six have led in rebounds, seven in assists, nine in steals and nine in blocks.
SECOND-HALF STRUGGLES?
The third quarter has been especially kind to the Cougars this season as they have outscored opponents in 17 of 25 games by an average of 4.6 points. BYU is 15-2 when outscoring its opponent in the third period. When losing the third, BYU is 2-6. Despite the success coming out of the break, the Cougars have been outscored in the third period in four of their last six games, including both road contests against Kansas and Kansas State.
Despite being outscored 44-22 in the third during the Sunflower State swing, the Cougars responded in a big way as they bested Iowa State 26-10 in the third quarter on Tuesday night. BYU shot 64.3 percent in the frame with Gibb and Rohkohl combining for 16 points on 5-of-6 from the field. BYU assisted on seven of nine makes in the third, outrebounded the Cyclones 12-6 and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.
COLD NIGHTS IN PROVO
Cummard’s squad prides itself on its ability to defend. BYU has held 18 of 24 opponents under the 70-point threshold and is 16-2 in such games, with their only losses to No. 18 Baylor and at Oklahoma State. BYU has kept nine of its foes under 60 points this season, and the Cougars are 23-2 over the past three seasons when doing so. In losses to No. 8 TCU, No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Baylor and Oklahoma State, BYU held each opponent under their season scoring average: Vanderbilt 3.1 points under, TCU 15.5 points under its 87.5 PPG and Oklahoma State 19.8 points under its 86.8 average. The two teams to outscore their average against the Cougs were No. 22 West Virginia, with 91 points, the most BYU has surrendered this season and Kansas, which scored 81, the most to an unranked team.
YOUNG GUNS, BIG BUCKETS
BYU’s freshmen have made huge contributions to the Cougars’ offensive success. Olivia Hamlin, Sydney Benally, Bolanle Yussuf and Braeden Gunlock have combined for 38.9 percent of all points scored by BYU this season. With sophomores Delaney Gibb, Brinley Cannon and Kambree Barber added to the mix, the underclassmen account for 69.1 percent of all BYU scoring. In Big 12 play, underclassmen have combined for 51 of BYU’s 67.1 points per game (76%). In BYU’s win over Iowa State, Hamlin scored a career-high 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, while Gibb contributed 20 on 8-of-12 from the floor. The underclassmen scored 60 of the 83 Cougar points on Tuesday.
COLD NIGHTS AGAINST THE COUGS
Cummard’s squad prides itself on its ability to defend. BYU has held 19 of 25 opponents under the 70-point threshold and is 17-2 in such games, with their only losses to No. 18 Baylor and at Oklahoma State. BYU has kept nine of its foes under 60 points this season, and the Cougars are 23-2 over the past three seasons when doing so. In losses to No. 8 TCU, No. 17 Vanderbilt, No. 18 Baylor and Oklahoma State, BYU held each opponent under their season scoring average: Vanderbilt 3.1 points under, TCU 15.5 points under its 87.5 PPG and Oklahoma State 19.8 points under its 86.8 average.
BYU'S BACKCOURT ANCHOR
Delaney Gibb is averaging 16.2 points, 4.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals. BYU is 6-4 in games that Gibb leads the Cougars in scoring, has a 5-1 record when she leads the team in steals and a 6-2 record when she records five or more assists.
Despite her usual offensive prowess, the sophomore was in a slump that consisted of going 10-of-54 (.185) from the floor and 2-for-28 (.071) from deep in games against Oklahoma State, Utah, Kansas and Kansas State. In BYU’s lone win over the four-game stretch against rival Utah, the sophomore still made winning plays with eight rebounds, three coming on the offensive glass, seven assists and four steals that all led directly to Cougar scores, despite her shooting struggles.
Gibb snapped out of her slump with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, going 5-for-7 from downtown and tallying four rebounds and three assists in the win over Iowa State on Tuesday. Gibb was named to the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Midseason Top 10 Midseason Watch List last week, joining Baylor’s Tahlia Scott as the only Big 12 players on the list.
BUILT ON BOARDS
BYU ranks second in the Big 12 with 41.2 rebounds per game and 13.8 offensive boards per outing. The Cougars have recorded 175 offensive rebounds since the beginning of conference play, leading to 143 second-chance points, 13.5 and 11.0 per game, respectively. The Cougars grabbed 26 offensive boards in their win over Arizona State, the fifth-most in a game in BYU history and scored 20 second-chance points.
Despite the strong rebounding averages, BYU has been outrebounded in five of its last seven games, and is now 3-4 when being outrebounded. Over the last six, the Cougars have been bested 39.7-34.5 on the glass. In their last outing against Iowa State, BYU won the battle of the boards 39-31, grabbed just six offensive boards and scored seven second-chance points in the win.
LIV'N IN FAST FORWARD
Olivia Hamlin was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Dec. 15, the second weekly award for BYU this season (Sydney Benally, Dec. 1). The freshman comes off the bench and is BYU’s second-leading scorer at 12.3 points per game. The Cougars are 15-3 when Hamlin finishes in double figures. Hamlin also has four 20+ point performances, two in Big 12 play, and BYU is 4-0 in such games, and 9-2 when Hamlin records multiple steals.
Hamlin is one of the top players in the country at playing in transition. The freshman scores 4.4 points per game, and 35.7 percent of her points come from transition buckets, which rank in the 99th and 98th percentile nationally.
Against Iowa State, Halmin went for a career-high 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting, and knocked down three offerings from beyond the arc to go along with three rebounds and a steal in the 14-point win.
The Santa Clara, Utah, product leads all Big 12 freshmen and is 16th nationally with 45 steals. She is also first in the conference and 20th nationally in steals per game with 1.84 per contest. Her 1.84 steals per game and 45 total steals also rank 6th and 9th in the BYU freshman record book.
BIG 12 WINS VS. BIG 12 LOSSES
| |
BYU's Big 12 Wins |
BYU's Big 12 Losses |
| Stats |
BYU |
Opp. |
BYU |
Opp. |
| Points/Gm |
75.7 |
61.8 |
59.7 |
76.0 |
| Scoring Margin |
+13.8 |
|
-16.3 |
|
| Field Goal % |
.444 |
.363 |
.344 |
.441 |
| 3-PT FG % |
.342 |
.288 |
.281 |
.318 |
| Free Throw % |
.753 |
.720 |
.688 |
.826 |
| Rebounds/ Gm |
42.0 |
33.3 |
36.4 |
38.4 |
| Rebounding Margin |
+8.7 |
|
-2.0 |
|
| Assists/Gm |
16.3 |
10.7 |
11.0 |
18.3 |
| Turnovers/Gm |
17.3 |
17.0 |
19.1 |
16.3 |
| Steals/Gm |
11.0 |
8.0 |
9.1 |
8.1 |
| Blocks/Gm |
4.8 |
3.5 |
4.1 |
4.1 |
Head Coach – Lee Cummard
- Alma Mater: BYU, 2009
- Division I Career Record: 17-8 || 1st Season
