No. 16 BYU returns home to host No. 8 Houston

The Cougars are 3-8 all-time against Houston.

Author Tyson Jex
No. 16 BYU returns home to host No. 8 HoustonNo. 16 BYU returns home to host No. 8 Houston

PROVO, Utah - It's another Top 25 matchup for No. 16 BYU this weekend when the Cougars welcome No. 8 Houston to Provo on Saturday, Feb. 7. Tip is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. MT. 

WHERE TO WATCH
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN with Jon 'Boog' Sciambi and Fran Fraschilla on the call. 

CLASH OF THE COUGARS
Saturday will be the 12th all-time meeting between the programs and Houstonís second trip to the Marriott Center as a member of the Big 12. BYU is 3-8 all-time against the Coogs including a 1-3 record in Provo. 

The Cougars last faced Houston in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship last season where they fell 74-54 to a Coogs team that would later advance to the National Championship game. In the setback to Houston, Keba Keita recorded a double-double with a team-high 14 points to go along with 12 rebounds. Dawson Baker added 11 points off the bench knocking down two of BYU's six 3-pointers. Richie Saunders was the third Cougar in double figures with 10 points, six rebounds and a steal. 

BYU's only win over Houston in Provo came on Dec. 4, 1965 behind 39 points from Dick Nemelka. He went 18-of-23 from the field as the Cougars shot 57.0 percent from the field in a 111-82 victory. 

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NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Cougars return to the friendly confines of the Marriott Center looking to end their three-game losing streak that began with a 86-83 setback to No. 1 on Jan. 26 in Provo. Prior to the lose to the top-ranked Wildcats, BYU had won 13 straight home games.

BYU has won 80.9 percent of its games at the Marriott Center (663-157) since it was opened in December of 1971 with a win over Kansas State. A win on Saturday over Houston would make it 20 straight seasons with double digits wins at the Marriott Center.

The Cougars are 24-3 at home under second-year head coach Kevin Young with two of three losses coming to ranked teams. They are outscoring opponents by 22.1 points per game (88.3-66.2) at the Marriott Center with Young at the helm while shooting 50.8 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from three and 72.0 percent from the free throw line. They are also averaging 40.4 rebounds per game more than 12 of those coming on the offensive glass. 

UP FOR THE MOMENT
Saturday will be the Cougars 16th game against a ranked opponent since Kevin Young became the head coach in April 2024. Under Young's tutelage, Richie Saunders has turned into one of the best shooting guards in the country (checks notes: yep, he was named to the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Mid Season Top 10) and has taken his game to another level especially on the biggest stage. 

The senior is averaging 19.9 points per game against ranked opponents since the beginning of the 2024-25 season including scoring in double figures in 13 straight match ups highlighted by a career-high 33 points against No. 14 Kansas last week. He is shooting 52.6 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from three and 85.7 percent from the free throw line. 32 of his 75 rebounds have come on the offensive glass including multiple offensive boards in six of the past seven games against ranked opponents. 

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IN POSITION TO BE IN POSITION
AJ Dybantsa's quest for the BYU freshman scoring record is getting closer and closer by the game as the native of Brockton, Mass. has scored 525 points in 22 games, 37more points than Danny Ainge scored in his first 22 games a Cougar back in 1977-78. 

AJ Dybantsa Danny Ainge
Opponent Points Opponent Points
Villanova 21 UCLA 13
Holy Cross 17 Long Beach State 27
Delaware 18 Nevada 13
UConn 25 Idaho State 36
Wisconsin 18 Montana 20
Miami 16 Cal State Fullerton 8
Dayton 18 McNeese State 26
Cal Baptist 22 Illinois 19
Clemson 28 Bradley 28
UC Riverside 26 Utah State 25
Pacific 23 San Diego State 28
Abilene Christian 35 North Carolina 23
Eastern Washington 35 Rhode Island 25
Kansas State 24 Hawaii 14
Arizona State 23 Weber State 19
Utah 20 Utah State 23
TCU 25 Wyoming 21
Texas Tech 13 Colorado State 23
Utah 43 Arizona 29
Arizona 24 Arizona State 33
Kansas 17 New Mexico 13
Oklahoma State 36 UTEP 22
  525   488

A BIG CHALLENGE AHEAD
Heading into Saturday's Top 25 showdown, BYU is one of three schools in the Big 12 to have two players ranked in the Top 10 in scoring joined by Texas Tech (Christian Anderson, JT Toppin) and Utah (Terrence Brown, Don McHenry). 

AJ Dybantsa enters Saturday's contest against Houston leading the country and Big 12 in scoring at 23.9 points per game. The 6-foot-9 small forward also ranks ninth in field goal percentage as he is 179-of-334 from the field. If the season ended today, He would become the third freshman to lead the nation in scoring (Trae Young in 2018, Jason Conley in 2002). 

Dybantsa's 23.9 points per game would be the sixth-highest in a single season in program history.