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BYU's Fousseyni Traore (45) is defended by Cincinnati's Aziz Bandaogo during a Big 12 men's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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BYU's Trevin Knell (21) launches a 3-pointer against Cincinnati during a Big 12 men's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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There are so many things in the life of a college basketball player that can distract them from being their best on game day.

School, social media, friends and detractors, they all can keep an athlete from focusing on what they intend to do on the court.

The BYU men’s basketball team finally picked up its first road victory of the season on Tuesday, rolling in the second half of a 83-67 victory at Colorado.

Sure, the Buffs had lost six straight Big 12 games to start the season, but five of them had been lost by ten points or less, and Colorado had one of the more impressive non-conference victories of any team in the Big 12: A 73-72 win against then-No. 2 UConn at the Maui Invitational on Nov. 26.

But, back to the distractions.

Senior guard Trevin Knell said the only thing the Cougars could do during the tough stretch to start the Big 12 schedule was to keep working.

“We pound the rock, pound the rock, pound the rock, and eventually it’s going to break open,” Knell said. “I really feel like this was a huge stepping stone for us, and I feel like things are starting to break open, and we’re really starting to play to our potential.”

The Cougars fell behind the Buffs by ten points midway through the second half but outscored the home team 39-6 over a 12-minute stretch to gain control.

“I think everybody just wants to win,” Knell said. “It doesn’t matter who’s going off, who’s playing well, nothing like that matters. That’s what the identity of this team is like. We just want to win now. We really look to each other, and I think it really shows when we’re moving the ball and playing with pace. Our focus was just passing and then attacking. We don’t we don’t want so many of the dead ball possessions.”

BYU coach Kevin Young said he wanted more from his program, even as far as to challenge the assistant coaches and the staff to bring more energy every game.

Another key component was to attack in the open court.

“The way our team is constructed, when it becomes just a slug fest, a rock fight, we’ve struggled in that area,” Young said. “We want to try to attack before these defenses can get set. We want to be able to get that ball popping and be able to attack them and make the extra pass, which is where we’re at our best.”

Egor Demin seems to particularly excel in that area. The freshman point guard aggressively drove to the basket against Colorado, a result of a specific conversation with Young. Later, when BYU got transition opportunities, Demin dished out seven assists, all in the second half.

“I showed him some stats at shoot around where he’s one of the most efficient rim finishers in the country, and he just hadn’t been getting there enough,” Young said. “His first two baskets against Colorado were layups. I think that got him in an aggressive mindset. He’s a guy that’s really prideful, and he’s smart and he’s cerebral. He was a real catalyst for us.”

Scouting Report

Cincinnati (12-6 overall, 2-5 Big 12) comes to the Marriott Center on Saturday evening, an 8:30 p.m. MT tip on ESPN2. BYU fans and returning players certainly remember the Bearcats rolling into Provo last season and spoiling the Cougars first Big 12 game by winning 70-61 despite a Marriott Center record nine 3-pointers from Knell.

Curiously, Knell made his ninth 3-pointer with 12:55 to play, went out of the game at the 10:23 mark and sat for nearly six minutes before coming back with the Cougars down 61-53. Knell started the Colorado game 4 for 4 from distance, ending up 4 of 6.

Cincinnati, ranked as high as No. 17 in the AP poll during non-conference play, started 0-4 in the Big 12 against Kansas State (70-67), Arizona (72-67), Baylor (68-48) and Kansas (54-40) before beating Colorado (68-62) and Arizona State (67-60). On Tuesday, the Bearcats lost at home to Texas Tech 81-71.

Simas Lukosious, a 6-foot-8 senior, leads Cincinnati with 12.2 points per game, followed by 6-6 junior Dan Killings Jr. (11.8) and 6-8 Texas transfer Dillon Mitchell (11.1). Former Utah Valley big man Aziz Bandaogo (2-0 against the Cougars in the Marriott Center) averages 8.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.

The Bearcats are dead last in scoring (61.1 points per game) and 3-point field goal percentage (26%) in conference play but fifth in defense (66.7 points allowed per game).

Men’s College Basketball

Cincinnati (12-6, 2-5 Big 12) at BYU (12-6, 3-4 Big 12)

Saturday, 8:30 p.m. MT

Marriott Center, Provo

TV/Streaming: ESPN2

Radio: KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM, BYU Radio

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: Saturday will be the fifth all-time meeting between BYU and Cincinnati, with the series tied at 2-2. … The Bearcats won last year at the Marriott Center 70-61 in the Cougars first Big 12 game. … BYU is 9-1 at home this season, with the only loss coming to Texas Tech on Jan 7. … Richie Saunders is one 3-pointer away from becoming the fourth player on the roster with 100 or more career triples, joining Trevin Knell (205), Dawson Baker (114) and Dallin Hall (106).