Thanks to a Big 12 Conference scheduling quirk, Utah doesn’t have to wait very long for a rematch with rival BYU.
Two weeks after a close contest between the two neighboring programs, the Utes (9-10 overall, 1-5 Big 12) travel to Provo on Saturday in hopes of avenging a tough setback against the No. 13 Cougars (16-2, 4-1).
BYU recorded an 89-84 victory in the first outing between the rivals in Salt Lake City on Jan. 10.
The Cougars staved off the upset-minded Utes thanks to their Big 3, with Richie Saunders totaling 24 points and 14 rebounds, Robert Wright III scoring 23 points and AJ Dybantsa adding 20 points.
Terrence Brown scored 25 points and Don McHenry had 21 for Utah, which was within one point late in the second half. It was Alex Jensen’s first game as head coach of the Utes in this rivalry.
“BYU has done a great job. Kevin (Young) does a good job. It’s hard to have those guys be together,” Jensen said. “It’s a great lesson for us to learn from. They play well together.”
BYU went on to defeat TCU 76-70 in its next outing, but the Cougars fell 84-71 at then-No. 15 Texas Tech last Saturday to snap a 13-game winning streak.
The Cougars didn’t have a game earlier this week, so they’ll come in well-rested. That came at a good time for BYU, considering star freshman Dybantsa was dealing with a shoulder injury in his season-low 13-point performance vs. the Red Raiders and starting center Keba Keita has been dealing with an ankle injury.
The Utes also are hoping to get back on a winning track. They defeated TCU at home last Saturday, 82-79, to end a five-game losing skid before dropping an 81-78 decision at Kansas State on Tuesday night.
Utah and Kansas State are among the teams at the bottom of the Big 12 standings with just one conference victory apiece.
The Cougars entered the weekend with only one loss in Big 12 play, like Texas Tech, and trail Arizona and Houston, who were both undefeated in conference action. BYU hosts No. 1 Arizona on Monday night.
Young, now in his second season as BYU’s head coach, was complimentary of Jensen after the two teams played two weeks ago. He noted that they both entered the NBA coaching scene around the same time, with Young at Phoenix and Jensen in Utah.
“He’s smart, man. He’s a smart coach, and he’s just figuring it all out, all the idiosyncrasies. He joked before the game — in the NBA, you do the anthem and the coaches wave and you play the game. In college, before the game, you walk the line, shake, and he’s still trying to figure out if we’re supposed to do this,” Young said.
“He’s still figuring everything out, but he’s a smart guy, and (Utah basketball general manager) Wes Wilcox, too. They’re smart. They have a lot of experience, and this will be some fun games over the years between our groups.”
–Field Level Media
