Can No. 18 Cougars capitalize on confidence-building win at UCF?
ORLANDO, Fla. — When BYU basketball coaches previewed their Big 12 road schedule last summer, they figured they would get a mild break when they visited UCF’s Addition Financial Arena on Jan. 13, and not because the Knights were picked to finish 14th in the 14-team league.
“It probably was the best gym we have played in so far. It was incredible. It is just a tribute to the league. In terms of relief, I don’t know if we have relief. I think we were just hungry to just find a way to go win a game. And now we are hungry to find a way to go win another one.” — BYU coach Mark Pope
“We thought that this UCF venue was not going to be over-the-top electric,” BYU coach Mark Pope said.
Boy, were they wrong.
Buoyed by their thrilling upset of No. 3 Kansas on Wednesday night, the Knights and their fans, bolstered by the usual strong showing from visiting BYU fans, created a frenzied atmosphere at the 10,000-seat on-campus venue for Saturday’s matchup with the No. 18 Cougars.
“The venue tonight was incredible,” Pope said. “Props to UCF, because it was a special gym to play in. It was super fun.”
Pope could say a good time was had by all wearing blue because BYU prevailed 63-58 to pick up its first Big 12 win, but the environment is one the Cougars and their coaches won’t easily forget, from the heckling fans to the palm frond-waving students behind BYU’s basket in the second half.
It was like a trip to the Kennel at Gonzaga, a date with The Show at San Diego State and the pressure-cooker intimacy of the crackerbox at Saint Mary’s all rolled into one.
“It probably was the best gym we have played in so far. It was incredible. It is just a tribute to the league,” Pope said.
“In terms of relief, I don’t know if we have relief. I think we were just hungry to just find a way to go win a game, and now we are hungry to find a way to go win another one.”
That chance comes quickly, as the Cougars (1-2, 13-3) play host to visiting Iowa State (2-1, 13-3) on Tuesday at the Marriott Center.
The Cyclones opened Big 12 play with a 71-63 loss at No. 11 Oklahoma, then had a special week in Ames, Iowa, with a 57-53 upset of No. 2 Houston and a 66-42 pummeling of Oklahoma State.
BYU held steady at No. 4 in the NET rankings after taking a 13-point second half lead over UCF and then holding on down the stretch, and moved to No. 12 in Kenpom.com. It will be interesting to see if BYU stays ranked in the top 20 after a 1-1 week that also saw it fall 81-72 at No. 14 Baylor.
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Unranked Iowa State is No. 10 in the NET, so undoubtedly the contest will feature two of the metrics system’s favorite teams.
The Marriott Center should be hopping.
“Nobody’s safe,” said BYU guard Richie Saunders after he dropped in two free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining to seal the win over UCF and give BYU the five-point win as a 5.5-point favorite.
“Every game you’ve got to show up.”
Pope picked up his 100th win in Orlando, tied with Stan Watts as the third-fastest BYU basketball coach to get to 100 wins.
He’s got 44 losses, two of which came in early January against Cincinnati and Baylor.
“I feel some of this emotion because we won,” Pope said. “But either side of the ball, you feel like, man, how fun is it to witness a game where two teams, their whole heart and soul is on the floor?”
The Cougars won for the first time this season without getting to double figures in 3-pointers, instead using some sticky defense, cutting down on their turnovers and getting outstanding games from Aly Khalifa, Trevin Knell and Saunders.
Knell is now 25 of 43 from beyond the arc in his last six games, and has moved to 13th on BYU’s 3-point list with 144 in his career. He’s made 3 or more triples 22 times in his career, tied for 10th most in program history.
Cougars on the air
No. 24 Iowa State (2-1, 13-3)
at No. 20 BYU (1-2, 13-3)
Tuesday, 7 p.m. MST
Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 102.7 FM/1160 AM
“This 3-point game is really important to us,” Pope said, “so we just gotta keep finding ways to be aggressive from there.”
What can getting their first Big 12 win, especially on the road in a tough environment, do for the Cougars?
“Hopefully it will continue to contribute to our belief. Every single game in this league you kinda get to learn more about what you can do,” Pope said.
“Certainly, getting a game in the left (win) column is really important to us, just in terms of finding a way to exist in this league.”
