Monday morning started with a moment of realization for BYU basketball coach Kevin Young. Waking up, he turned to his wife, Melissa, and pointed out something surprising—only 10 regular-season games remained in his debut season at the helm in Provo. Melissa’s reaction mirrored his own disbelief.
“She was like, ‘What, are you serious?’” Young recounted later that day in his weekly press conference. The stark contrast between his previous experience in the NBA and the college basketball season length had finally sunk in. “We are used to (the season) going on forever (in the NBA). … This is crazy, compared to what I was used to.”
But here’s the good news—BYU (15-6, 6-4) is hitting its stride at the perfect time, right as the Big 12 season reaches its midpoint. The bad news? The second half of the schedule looks even more brutal than the first. And that challenge begins immediately on Tuesday night when Arizona, a new Big 12 addition and former Western Athletic Conference rival, returns to Provo for the first time in more than two decades.
High Stakes Showdown with Arizona
Arizona (15-6, 9-1) reentered the Associated Press Top 25 on Monday, landing at No. 20, just like BYU, after securing four consecutive victories. Their recent triumphs include a thrilling overtime upset over No. 3 Iowa State, thanks to Caleb Love’s jaw-dropping half-court buzzer-beater, and a heated rivalry win against Arizona State. That latter matchup even saw Arizona State’s head coach Bobby Hurley refuse to let his players shake hands postgame. Just another day in the intensity-packed Big 12.
Tuesday night’s showdown will be the 40th all-time meeting between BYU and Arizona, tipping off at 9 p.m. at the Marriott Center and nationally televised on ESPN. While late tip-offs might not be ideal for fans, Young sees value in the varied start times. “I do kinda like the tip times varying, just because it gets you ready for the postseason,” he noted. “Anything can happen there.”
BYU’s Postseason Hopes Are Rising
As BYU continues its climb in the Big 12, the team’s prospects for an NCAA Tournament berth are improving. The Cougars’ four-game winning streak has propelled them into the tournament conversation, with ESPN’s Joe Lunardi placing them among the “Last Four In” at No. 44 overall in his Bracketology rankings. Meanwhile, Arizona is slotted as a No. 5 seed and ranked 17th overall.
With a NET ranking of 32 and a KenPom rating of 31, BYU could argue for better seeding, but Young isn’t sweating it. “I look at (NCAA Tournament projections) from time to time,” he admitted. “But we really do just try to go one game at a time. That has served us well.”
One of the biggest factors working against BYU? They only have two Quad 1 wins—Baylor at home and UCF on the road. Tuesday’s matchup against Arizona presents another crucial Quad 1 opportunity, which could significantly boost their tournament standing.
Momentum and Key Adjustments
This four-game conference winning streak is BYU’s best since 2021, when they strung together similar runs in the West Coast Conference. That year, they closed out the regular season with a winning stretch before beating Pepperdine in overtime at the WCC Tournament, only to fall to Gonzaga in the championship game.
Despite a rocky start in Big 12 play, Young remains confident in his team’s offensive evolution. “I think we are finding our way offensively,” he explained. “Our pace has improved a lot over the last four or five games. I think we are finding some rhythm there.”
A significant factor in BYU’s recent success has been the integration of Rutgers transfer Mawot Mag into the starting lineup. The senior from Melbourne, Australia, has become a defensive cornerstone, frequently tasked with shutting down the opposing team’s best scorer. “Defensively, we are continuing to explore matchups, explore coverages, explore how much we want to just keep Mawot on certain guys versus switching, which we do a lot of,” Young said.
The Challenge Ahead: Can BYU Take Down No. 20 Arizona?
Historically, Arizona leads the series 20-19, with most of their matchups occurring between 1962 and 1978 during their shared time in the WAC. However, BYU has dominated at home, boasting a 14-4 record against the Wildcats in Provo. Arizona’s last visit to the Marriott Center in 1998 resulted in a hard-fought overtime victory, 78-74.
BYU, however, has had the upper hand in their last two meetings, largely thanks to Jimmer Fredette. The Cougars legend dropped 49 points in a 99-69 blowout win in Tucson in 2009 and followed it up with 33 points in BYU’s 87-65 victory at the Delta Center in 2010.
Tuesday’s game also marks Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd’s return to Provo. The youthful-looking 50-year-old spent two decades as an assistant coach at Gonzaga before taking the helm at Arizona in 2021. Despite Arizona being tied for first place in the Big 12 with Houston, BYU enters this game as a slight favorite.
“I don’t put too much stock into a good time to catch any team,” Young said. “They are a really good team. Tommy does a heckuva job. He’s very experienced, knows what he is doing. They are very organized. They play really hard. They have a clear identity. So I am just looking forward to a good basketball game against a good team.”
With BYU gaining confidence and finding its rhythm in one of the toughest conferences in college basketball, Tuesday night’s matchup promises to be a must-watch. The stakes are high, the competition fierce, and for the Cougars, every game from here on out could define their path to March Madness.
Login