It’s not often brothers get a chance to play against each other in college basketball game.

The Johnson brothers will get that opportunity on Tuesday when BYU (2-0) takes on No. 12 Oregon (2-0) in the Phil Knight Invitational at Portland’s Moda Center.

Spencer Johnson, a 6-foot-5 junior guard for the Cougars, said he’s looking forward to facing off with his brother Isaac, a 7-foot freshman for the Ducks.

“It’ll be a fun one because it’s been a while since I’ve been able to play with my brother,” Spencer Johnson said. “He’s doing really well, that’s what I saw. He’s been performing well. He’s liking it over there and we have a lot of friends and family that moved over there (Oregon) that will be at the game.”

So here’s the story: Spencer Johnson was a star at American Fork in 2016, earning first team All-State honors after averaging 19.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game. After serving a church mission to Italy he redshirted for a season at Weber State then committed to Mark Pope at Utah Valley. When Pope left for BYU, Johnson opted to play a year at Salt Lake Community College. He earned a reputation as one of the top JC defensive guards while averaging 13.2 points per game.

He joined the Cougars for the 2020-21 season, coming off the bench to average 5.1 points per game while shooting 41 percent from the 3-point line.

Isaac Johnson, meanwhile, was 53rd on the ESPN Top 100 as a senior at American Fork in 2019. Along with current BYU freshman Trey Stewart, Isaac Johnson helped lead the Cavemen to a state title while averaging 18.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He committed to Dana Altman and Oregon before serving a church mission to Ohio, returning in March of 2021.

Altman is starting slowly with his prize freshman. Isaac Johnson played six minutes in the opener against Texas Southern and scored a basket. Against SMU, Johnson played four minutes and picked up a rebound and an assist.

Meanwhile, the brothers have been talking about the matchup.

“The trash talk has already started,” Spencer Johnson said. “It started as soon as I heard about the game. I already told him I wanted to take a charge so when somebody calls a screen, I’m calling a switch. We’re going to get it on.”

A big moment

On Friday after BYU held off San Diego State to go 2-0, Cougar coach Mark Pope was finally able to address the recent signing of four-star recruit Collin Chandler of Farmington. Chandler chose BYU over Utah, Stanford, Arizona and Oregon, among many others. He is currently ranked No. 28 in the ESPN Top 100.

“OK, so this signing day is a huge deal,” Pope said. “It’s a huge win for what these guys are building here. Collin came here and had a conversation with Alex Barcello, who’s been through it and is an All-American. And he got to be with the team. Without that, he doesn’t come here, if these guys haven’t built what they’ve built. Also, on a selfish level, I’m super happy because good players make coaches look smarter than they are. And he has a chance to be a really, really special player. Like, really special.

“I watched him at the Top 100 camp, the top 100 players in the country. He walked into the first two sessions, and he’s playing well and kind of checking out the field And he’s going to be mad at me for saying this because he would never say it, but my impression was that after the second session, he looked around and was like, I am the best player here. And then for the next few sessions he just put on a show and it was incredible. He’s got great insights and he is going to fit here beautifully.”

Chandler, who averaged 22.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game as a junior, plans to serve a church mission and will enroll at BYU in 2023 for the school’s first season in the Big 12.

Scouting Report

Oregon, which reached the Sweet 16 last season, easily beat Texas Southern and SMU to open this year’s schedule 2-0. Senior guard Will Richardson and senior forward Eric Williams lead a very talented Ducks team picked to finish second behind top-ranked UCLA in the preseason Pac-12 polls.

“I know they’re really, really good and I know they’ve got like ten 7-2 kids with 8-11 wingspans,” Pope joked. “They can really score and they confuse you with their matchup zone. So we’ve got to get back to work like we did for this game and work for a purpose. There’s a reason behind the schedule. The reason is that you don’t want to get fired. These guys are going to play great and I’ll keep my job for another day. Oregon will be a massive challenge. I’ve got to have faith in these guys.”

The rich get richer

The Ducks recently announced the signing of two five-star players: The nation’s No. 1 rated point guard (Dior Johnson) and Kel’el Ware, a 7-foot center from Arkansas. Oregon has also signed the top scorer in junior college, Tyrone Williams (27.6 points per game last season).

Men’s College Basketball

BYU (2-0) vs. No. 12 Oregon (2-0)

Tuesday, 8 p.m. MT

Moda Center in Portland, Ore.

TV: ESPN

Radio: BYU Radio, Sirius XM 143/BYU radio app, KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: Oregon leads the overall series with BYU 14-8. … The last time the two teams met was in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014. No. 7 Oregon earned an 87-68 victory against the Cougars, who were playing without star guard Kyle Collinsworth due to an injury suffered in the WCC Tournament. … The last BYU win in the series was in 2011, a 79-65 victory in Salt Lake City.

American Fork center Isaac Johnson (33) reacts after a foul during the UHSAA 6A Boys Basketball State Championship game between the American Fork Cavemen and the Pleasant Grove Vikings held Saturday, March 2, 2019, at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

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