At 6-foot-4 and 196 pounds, BYU’s Dallin Hall isn’t built like a typical college point guard.

As an elite scorer in high school, Hall could have been recruited almost anywhere as a two guard.

Cougar coach Mark Pope hasn’t hesitated in handing the keys of his offense to Hall to impressive results, especially lately: In the past 11 games, Hall has 63 assists to 15 turnovers. In wins at Kansas and against TCU, Hall combined for 30 points (9 of 15 from the field, 6 of 11 from the 3-point line) with 10 assists and one turnover.

When did Pope know during the recruiting process that Hall could be his trigger man?

“I didn’t know that he would have to carry all this load this early,” Pope admitted. “But Dallin was a pretty easy scout. He was a pretty easy evaluation. I’ll never forget seeing him, and I can’t remember where it was, maybe it was a gym in Vegas or somewhere. They separated the courts by the drop-down drapes and they were see through and he’s playing against Compton Magic or somebody that was pressing the whole game. Dallin was just making the quick, easy play every single time and you’re just like, ‘This dude’s vision is incredible.’ So he is growing into exactly that.”

Hall was Mr. Basketball in the state of Utah in 2020, leading Fremont to the 6A state title by averaging 22.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. He scored 38 points in a semifinal win and in the championship game dished out 11 assists along with 16 points.

After a church mission to Fresno, Calif., Hall made 21 starts for BYU in 2022-23. His numbers have improved across the board this season, from minutes played to points to field goal percentage and assist-to-turnover ratio.

Critics point to his mediocre free throw shooting (63%) and several games where he didn’t take the best shots.

Pope reminds those critics that Hall is just a sophomore and is taking a large load on his shoulders in a very tough conference. Jaxson Robinson and Trey Stewart have been getting a few minutes at point guard but mostly it’s been Hall.

“We’re trying to find ways to buy him a few minutes here and take the ball out of his hands,” Pope said. “We’ve talked about that. But I’m not surprised with where he is right now as an elite point guard. And I’m actually have a very clear vision of what he’s becoming. It’s pretty spectacular. And so is the road ahead. It’s going to be really exciting.”

Hall is fifth in the Big 12 with 5.1 assists per game and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (147 assists to 51 turnovers, 2.9).

SCOUTING REPORT

In some ways, beating Iowa State in Hilton Coliseum on Wednesday will be more difficult than getting the win last week at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

The Cyclones (23-6 overall, 12-4 Big 12) are ranked sixth in the country and have won seven of their past eight games, with the only loss to No. 1 Houston. In the past two games, Iowa State has given up 45 and 52 points, respectively, in wins against Oklahoma and UCF.

BYU beat the Cyclones on Jan. 16 in Provo 87-72 behind a career-high 28 points from senior Spencer Johnson. The 87 points were the most Iowa State has given up in a game this season.

The Cyclones are 17-0 at Hilton Coliseum, the sixth-best home winning streak in the country.

“It’s an incredible venue,” Pope said. “I’m excited for the guys to go experience it. Everywhere we go is so good, isn’t it? I’ve been there a couple of times. They have an incredible team and they have great leadership. They’re really athletic, really skilled and they play incredible basketball everywhere, but especially at home. So it’s going to be a massive challenge for our guys.”

Iowa State will honor its four seniors on Wednesday in their final home game: Forwards Tre King, Hason Ward and Robert Jones and guard Curtis Jones.

Men’s College Basketball

No. 20 BYU (2-8, 9-7 Big 12) at No. 6 Iowa State (23-6, 12-4 Big 12)

Wednesday, 7 p.m. MT

Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa

TV: ESPN2

Streaming: ESPN.com

Radio: KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: Wednesday will be the first time since 2007-08 that BYU has faced three different top 10 teams in a season. … The Cougars beat the Cyclones 87-72 in Provo on Jan. 16 behind a career-high 28 points from senior Spencer Johnson. … Junior Fousseyni Traore is 37 points away from becoming the 55th player in program history with 1,000 career points.

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