1 / 2

BYU men's basketball head coach Kevin Young gets doused with water during a post-game celebration in the locker room after a 91-57 victory against No. 23 Kansas at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

2 / 2

A BYU running back runs the ball up the field during football practice in Provo on Thursday, March 14, 2024.

Aaron Cornia, BYU Photo

❮ ❯

Daily Herald sports writers Darnell Dickson and Jared Lloyd give their opinions on the hot BYU sports topics this week:

1. How much should we read into BYU men’s basketball’s demolition of No. 23-ranked Kansas on Tuesday?

DICKSON: Coming into the game, I was reflecting on how things have changed for BYU since joining the Big 12. In the WCC, Cougar fans would get up for matchups with Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s in the Marriott Center, but had a hard time caring about playing Portland, or Pacific, or San Francisco, etc. The teams that are coming to the MC now surely get the competitive juices flowing and the Kansas game was kind of the pinnacle for that idea. Except the Cougars boat-raced the Jayhawks by 34 points, which was a bit of a disappointment that Rock Chalk didn’t show up. Anyhow, one game doesn’t mean that much in the whole scheme of things but the fact BYU has won three games in a row and Kevin Young has found a way to make an 11-man rotation work is definitely encouraging. Most bracketology sites have the Cougars in the NCAA Tournament but I would like to see them keep improving. This last stretch of five games includes Saturday at No. 19 Arizona (a team that has already beaten BYU) and at No. 8 Iowa State. A 3-2 record would likely keep the Cougars in the field of 64 but an upset of one of those two teams would probably solidify things.

LLOYD: No one should forget that this is a Jayhawk team that was a preseason No. 1 and knocked off top ranked opponents like Duke and Michigan State in November.

But that was November and this is February.

Kansas has been trending the wrong direction in many ways, including losing at Utah on Saturday. Yes, the Jayhawks got a really good home win over Iowa State and took care of Colorado on the road, but they have lost four of their last six games.

I see this as being an impressive victory for BYU over a traditional powerhouse that isn’t looking like a traditional powerhouse right now.

Could that change and have Kansas make a run in the NCAA tournament? Sure.

But I don’t think it should be talked about on par with many of the other great Cougar wins in the Marriott Center. The Jayhawks just aren’t playing well enough to give it that sort of credence.

2. Do you give more credit to the Cougar offense or defense for the 34-point victory over the Jayhawks?

LLOYD: Whenever a team puts 91 points on the board and wins by 34 points, there is plenty of credit to go around.

But I’m going to give the nod to the BYU defense on this one, since it really put the clamps down on a Kansas team that is capable of scoring. And the Jayhawks were in the 40s until a few late irrelevant buckets got them a little higher.

Kansas only made 23 of its 63 shots (36.5%) and 9-of-32 from beyond the arc (28.1%), but a deeper dive into the final box score highlights just how good the Cougars were at that end of the floor.

The Jayhawks did get 10 offensive rebounds but BYU got nine more defensive rebounds (33-24). And the Cougars did it with relatively few fouls, only allowing Kansas to shoot five free throws (2-of-5).

That was a team effort across the board and, while there were highlight-reel moments like Keba Keita’s monster block near the end of the game, for the most part it was a solid, consistent defensive showing.

DICKSON: During this three-game winning streak, especially with Kansas State and Kansas, the BYU defense is causing a large number of live-ball turnovers, which is leading to runouts and transition. That’s really where the Cougars can take advantage of their great shooters and spacing. I think Kevin Young and his staff have figured some things out on the defensive end. While Mawot Mag has been a very good defender at times, it has to be team defense that gets BYU where it wants to go. Keba Keita has been a terrific rim protector during this stretch run. Getting the right rotations, everyone on the same page in how to defend ball screens, forcing the opposition to take tough shots and rebounding have all played a part in the Cougars putting up good numbers on the offensive end. It all works together.

3. What do you think is the biggest key for BYU to upset No. 19 Arizona in Tucson on Saturday?

DICKSON: BYU has gone through some tough stretches offensively where the shots aren’t falling. We even saw that for a few minutes in the rout of Kansas, where the Jayhawks cut a 22-point lead to eight points in the first half. The Cougars did take off from there, but any such droughts against Arizona could be pretty damaging. So the biggest key for me is a consistent offensive performance, which means a low number of turnovers (less than 12) and getting out in transition once in a while. I think BYU will play better defensively against the Wildcats, especially down the stretch, and that could also have a pretty big impact on the result.

LLOYD: I think there are a number of correct answers to this question but I’m going to point to endurance as my No. 1 priority.

When BYU hosted the Wildcats on Feb. 4, the game was competitive for more than 30 minutes. But when the outcome was on the line, the Cougars appeared to run out of gas.

That happened with the added benefit of being in front of the large, supportive home crowd at the Marriott Center. Now BYU will face the more challenging task of playing at Arizona and the Cougars will need to bring plenty of energy.

But if BYU can maintain the level of play it had in the last two games, the Cougars will give themselves a great chance to building on their three-game win streak.

4. Do you think that after another season of inconsistency Cougar women’s basketball coach Amber Whiting is on the hot seat?

LLOYD: Is it OK to call it a warm seat for Whiting?

That’s where I think things should be currently for the BYU women’s hoops program because I don’t know if the Cougars are showing enough improvement and that is the expectation for BYU coaches.

But, on the other hand, this is still a relatively young team that Whiting has assembled. With some of the top players like Delaney Gibb, Amari Whiting, Cambree Barber and Brinley Cannon all being freshmen and sophomores, Amber Whiting deserves to have at least one more season to see some growth there.

It might come down to how whoever takes over for Tom Holmoe as director of athletics views things, since some people are a little more patient (which I like) while others are quicker to move on.

DICKSON: There was a lot of talk with men’s basketball about how difficult it would be to adjust to the Big 12, but I think it was even tougher for the women. Not only were the Cougars heading into a tougher conference but Whiting had just finished her first year of college coaching and went 16-17 overall and 9-9 in WCC play. BYU also doesn’t have the benefit of the large NIL bucks like the men. There has to be some grace as Whiting and her staff work on creating a competitive roster in a very good league. Right now, six Big 12 teams have 20 or more wins. Five teams are ranked and Utah and Iowa State are good enough to be ranked. That’s a pretty steep hill to climb. Still, I see far too many blowouts on the Cougars ledger right now. Yes, they are working hard and yes, there is some great young talent. Fousseyni Traore’s sister, Mariam, is already enrolled and rehabbing from an injury. She should be ready to go next season. And Whiting has a commitment from a super talent point guard Sydney Benally, New Mexico’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

I think a new director of athletics works in favor of Whiting, but she needs her team to start making some bigger strides in being competitive in the Big 12.

5.With BYU getting set to start spring football in a week, what do you see as being the top priority for the Cougars during this set of practices?

DICKSON: I’m asked a lot about spring practice, which, to be honest, isn’t very exciting for me. My main gripe is we get to see so little of the practice sessions it’s difficult to really learn a lot. I have two objectives for spring: Seeing who’s on the roster and watching the new additions move around on the field, even if it’s just the last 15 or 20 minutes. You also have to read between the lines interviewing coaches and players, which can be tricky. If you want to know what position group needs the most attention, I would say defensive line. But I also think the offensive line should take up a large portion of the coach’s meetings this spring as well. You make those two groups solid and you’ll be in good shape come fall.

LLOYD: It’s got to be developing depth. That’s always going to be critical for teams in the Big 12.

BYU didn’t lose an enormous amount of athletes to graduation or the transfer portal, but the Cougars certainly don’t have everyone coming back either. That means there are holes in the depth chart and beyond that need to be addressed.

I actually think spring camp is one of the best times for a player to make a move on the depth chart. Some starters will be limited as they recover from injuries or offseason surgeries, so if a guy can go in and consistently make plays, he’s going to force the coaches to at least look at giving him more opportunities.

BYU likes to play a lot of players in their rotation, particularly on defense, and everyone knows guys are going to get hurt. Each position needs to have athletes who have the skills, understanding and drive to be slotted in as needed. Demonstrating that starts in spring camp.”