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BYU's Aly Khalifa, 50, is fouled while going up for a shot against Life Pacific in an exhibition game at the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Jaxson Robinson, left, takes a 3-pointer in an exhibition game against Life Pacific in the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Fousseyni Traore rises up to dunk the basketball during a men's college exhibition game against Life Pacific at the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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With a plain vanilla game plan and two very important pieces out of the lineup, last week’s exhibition tune-up for the BYU men’s basketball team revealed very little.

What did BYU senior guard Spencer Johnson learn from his team’s 83-55 victory against NAIA Life Pacific?

“I learned that Jax (senior guard Jaxson Robinson) needs to shoot a lot of threes, that Fous (junior forward Fousseyni Traore) needs to get a lot of post touches and we need to play in transition offense a lot,” Johnson said.

One of the big mysteries heading into the first week of the regular season is just how 6-foot-11 Charlotte transfer Aly Khalifa fits into the Cougars speedy transition game. After all, last season the 49ers were 362nd (out of 363 teams) in possession per 40 minutes/adjusted tempo, according to KenPom. Khalifa comes to Provo with a reputation as a very good passer and shooter.

“We’re actually running a ton of offense through him,” BYU coach Mark Pope said. “We just didn’t want to show any of it tonight so he was put in some positions where we don’t normally have him. But we’ll grateful to have him. He’s going to really help us. He’s going to have some superstar moments for us this year.”

Khalifa played 16 minutes against Life Pacific, contributing 1 point on 0-1 from the field, 3 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 turnovers.

“He’s actually going to fit brilliantly because we learned this last year,” Pope said. “We were trying to race up and down the floor and play with thrust and all of this stuff and then our first game against Idaho State, it was like a 53-52 game. Idaho State sent like five guys back before they even shot it and we couldn’t get any pace to it. Aly is an unbelievable answer. He really is an elite playmaker so he’s going to fit really well in that trail position and he’s going to be really good.”

Robinson made 6 of 9 3-pointers against Life Pacific and finished with a team-high 20 points coming off the bench.

“He’s got really, really extended range, especially when he gets in rhythm,” Pope said. “He’s got so much more to his game that we didn’t really see. He’s still trying to get back from nursing an injury. So he’s only been on the floor for a couple of days before this. But he’s going to have to be really good for us this year.”

Pope said projected starting point guard Dallin Hall, who sat out the Life Pacific game, may play some minutes against Houston Christian but transfer guard Dawson Baker will be out longer.

Scouting Report

Houston Christian posted a 10-22 record last season, 7-11 in the Southland Conference and lost five of its top six scorers. The Huskies are headed by Ron Cotrell, the second-longest tenured among active Division I men’s basketball coaches. He’s headed into his 33rd season with a career mark of 518-491.

Center Bonke Maring (6-10 Sr.) returns after averaging 13 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game last season. Houston Christian is counting on a pair of transfers to bolster their offense. Jay Alvarez, a 6-5 guard, was a Division II first team All-American last season averaging 21.9 points and 8.6 rebounds for SUNY-Sullivan. Bruce Carpenter (6-2 G) averaged 19.7 points per game last season for North Platte (Neb.) Community College.

Men’s College Basketball

BYU (0-0) vs. Houston Christian (0-0)

Monday, 7 p.m.

Marriott Center, Provo

TV: None

Streaming: Big12Now/ESPN+

Radio: Sirius XM 143/BYU Radio.org/BYU Radio app/KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: Houston Christian plays in the Southland Conference. … Head coach Ron Cottrell is entering his 33rd season leading the Huskies (518-491). … BYU made 11 of 33 3-pointers (33%) in an exhibition victory against Life Pacific. … The Cougars will host NCAA runner-up San Diego State on Friday.