The BYU men’s basketball team is struggling from the 3-point line and on the defensive end as they head to famed Phog Allen Fieldhouse to play at No. 7 Kansas on Tuesday.

One thing the Cougars have done well in the past three games (two of them losses) is offensive rebounding.

BYU grabbed 53 offensive rebounds against Oklahoma State, Baylor and Kansas State, earning 55 second-chance points.

“It’s been a major point of emphasis for us all year long,” BYU coach Mark Pope said. “It helps us to win when we don’t shoot the ball well. But it’s a double-edged sword for us.”

What he means is that lots of offensive rebounds equals lots of missed shots. The Cougars have made a combined 27% (28 of 102) from the 3-point line in those three games. The offensive rebounds were critical in beating No. 11 Baylor but wasn’t enough to offset the poor shooting and defense in the other two games.

The BYU defense has been pretty leaky lately, allowing Oklahoma State to shoot 59.6% from the field, Baylor 49.2% and Kansas State 56.3%.

SCOUTING REPORT

As luck and the Big 12 would have it, The Cougars face the No. 3 field goal percentage team in the country on Tuesday. Kansas is shooting 50.2% from the field in 2023-24, one of just four teams in the NCAA averaging better than 50%.

The Jayhawks have one of the country’s premier big men in 7-foot-2 Hunter Dickinson, who is averaging 18.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field. Kansas’ leading scorer, 6-7 guard Kevin McCullar (19 ppg) won’t play on Tuesday due to a bone bruise injury.

The Jayhawks hammered Texas 86-67 on Saturday even without McCullar. All five starters hit for double figures (Dickinson 20, KJ Adams Jr. 16, Johnny Furphy 16, DaJuan Harris 14 and Nicolas Timberlake 13) and combined to shoot 62% from the field.

The biggest advantage Kansas has is playing at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, where it is virtually unbeatable. The Jayhawks win at a 94% rate at home over the history of the program. Kansas is 14-0 at home this year and is 75-3 in Allen Fieldhouse in the past six seasons.

“Phog Allen, we’ve been saying the same thing for the last 40 years, right?” Pope said. “Kansas is unbelievable. They’re big and physical and powerful and skilled and it’s a great environment.”

It’s BYU’s first trip to Lawrence for a men’s basketball game since 1973.

Men’s College Basketball

BYU (19-8, 7-7 Big 12) at No. 7 Kansas (21-6, 9-5 Big 12)

Tuesday, 6 p.m. MT

Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas

TV: None

Streaming: Big 12 Now on ESPN+

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

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: Kansas leads the all-time series with BYU 4-1. … The Jayhawks won the last meeting in 2019, a 71-56 victory at the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. … With 31 on Saturday the Cougars broke the school record for 3-point attempts in a season with 876. … BYU led the group just outside the Top 25 in the Associated Press poll with 92 votes, breaking a streak of 13 straight weeks in the Top 25.

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