Utah @ Brigham Young preview
Marriott Center
Last Meeting ( Dec 4, 2019 ) Brigham Young 95, Utah 102
BYU will get another crack at a Pac-12 foe when the Cougars play host to archrival Utah on Saturday.
The Cougars can only hope for a better scenario than the one that greeted them against Southern California earlier this month. BYU fell to the Trojans 79-53 in the Legends Classic after shooting an abysmal 27.5 percent from the field and scored zero second-chance points off 15 offensive rebounds.
Poor shooting derailed the Cougars again in a 74-70 loss to Boise State on Wednesday. BYU did not score a point over the first 9:39 of the game, allowing the Broncos to sprint out to a 14-0 lead. The Cougars eventually pulled even in the final minute, but Boise State's Emmanuel Akot hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining.
"They came out with some fire and passion to start out the game, and we could not respond," BYU coach Mark Pope said. "I was proud of my guys for hanging in there, fighting, battling through frustration and staying locked in, but we just weren't quite good enough to get it done."
Getting leading scorer Alex Barcello involved early will be critical against Utah. Barcello did not score his first points against Boise State until 49 seconds remained before halftime. But the senior guard finished with a team-high 22 and is averaging 19.6 points and 3.3 assists through seven games.
Utah has encountered little resistance while racking up a pair victories to start the season. The Utes defeated Idaho State 75-59 on Tuesday behind a steady dose of stifling defense. Utah forced the Bengals to commit 19 turnovers and turned those turnovers into 22 points.
Pelle Larsson led a balanced Utah offensive attack with 14 points. Six different players scored in double figures for the Utes. Utah shot 50.9% from the floor against Idaho State and went 9 of 18 from 3-point range.
Still, the Utes struggled in some areas, trailing 17-4 in offensive rebounds and allowing 22 second-chance points for Idaho State.
"We've got a long way to go, finding an identity offensively," Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak said. "Defensively, it feels pretty good. But Game 3 at BYU is going to be a heck of a challenge for us and we have got to be a lot better than we were (Tuesday)."
BYU and Utah are meeting for the 261st time. BYU holds a 131-129 edge in the series and has won 13 of the last 18 games against the Utes. Utah prevailed 102-95 in overtime last season.
--Field Level Media