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BYU's Dawson Baker (left) makes a move into the key against Cincinnati in a Big 12 men's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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BYU's Kanon Catchings, right, makes a move around Cincinnati's Aziz Bandaogo in a Big 12 men's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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After six games in Big 12 play, the BYU men’s basketball team was shooting 44% from the field and 32% from the 3-point line.

Those numbers rose dramatically in wins at Colorado and at home against Cincinnati.

The Cougars shot 58% (59 of 102) from the field and 54% (26 of 48) from beyond the arc in the past two games, leveling their league record at 4-4.

“I think we had a little bit of one (a breakout) in Colorado,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “It’s two games in a row where we’re very capable of hitting a lot of threes. We’ve got a lot of shooting and our spacing is pretty good. We’re figuring each other out, too. We’re playing with a little bit more halfcourt movement and we’re making guys chase us a little bit more. We’ve gone away from just the pick and roll. I think that (movement) has helped get guys off of us and give guys a little bit more space to get shots off.”

Junior guard Richie Saunders is averaging better than 18 points per game in Big 12 play but has gotten a lot of help from his teammates in the past week. Dawson Baker came off the bench to shoot 8 of 11 from the field (4 of 5 from the 3-point line) and scored 20 points in the two contests. Against Cincinnati, Baker repeatedly penetrated the key area for open floaters.

“It’s kind of a unique skill on this team,” Young said. “I don’t know where we currently rank but at one point in time we were the best team in all of the Power 5 shooting at the rim and from three. We don’t want those pull-up twos. They don’t go in. He (Baker) is a guy where they do go in.

“I’ve coached three of the best mid-range shooters the game has ever seen in the NBA. We never told Chris (Paul), (Devin) Booker or KD (Kevin Durrant) to not shoot long twos. When teams play this drop coverage, he (Baker) is a guy who can make that shot at a high clip. It adds another weapon to our assault offensively.”

BYU (13-6 overall, 4-4 Big 12) is entering the most difficult part of its Big 12 schedule with the next eight or nine games likely to be Quad 1, where the Cougars are 0-3 this season.

Finding its shooting stroke seems to be pretty timely.

“Shot making breeds confidence,” Young said. “You always have ups and down and you hope to capitalize on the ups and build on them. That’s what I told our guys. We’ve really stacked good days practice wise, and now we’ve got to stack wins.”

SCOUTING REPORT

Baylor is 13-6 overall and one game ahead of BYU (5-3) in the Big 12 standings. The Bears are No. 28 in the NET Rankings, ten spots ahead of the Cougars.

Baylor is coming off a 76-61 victory at Utah on Saturday, getting 22 points and 12 rebounds from Miami transfer Norchard Omier and 20 from V.J. Edgecombe. The 6-foot-5 guard is considered one of the top freshmen in the country and threw in 30 points last Tuesday in a win against Kansas State.

“VJ is one of the most dynamic players in the country,” Young said. “He’s got a lot of upside. Athletically, they’re really good, not just with him, but across the board. As athletic as they are, I think we play a bit faster. So it’ll be an interesting matchup stylistically. We’ll have to do a good job of neutralizing their athleticism with good team defense. Then we’ll use our ability to space the floor on the other end and make quick decisions, like we like to play.”

As of Monday, two Baylor starters are listed as day-to-day. Guard Langston love is dealing with an ankle injury and Duke transfer Jeremy Roach missed the Utah game because he was still on concussion protocol. With those two players unavailable, the Bears used just seven players against the Utes

The Bears and Cougars split two games last season, each winning on their own home court.

“They’re freaking good,” Saunders said. “I know they’ve kind of had a little bit of a rough time with losing Roach, but they’re extremely well coached and it’s going be a really big matchup. I’m glad we get them here. They’re just a tough, tough team, and we’re excited for the challenge.”

Men’s College Basketball

Baylor (13-6, 5-3 Big 12) at BYU (13-6, 4-4 Big 12)

Tuesday, 7 p.m. MT

Marriott Center, Provo

TV/Streaming: ESPN2

Radio: KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM, BYU Radio

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: The series between BYU and Baylor is tied at 6-6, with the Cougars winning all six meetings in the Marriott Center. … In 2024, The Bears won in Waco 81-72 on Jan. 9 but the Cougars knocked off the 11th-ranked Bears 78-71 in Provo on Feb. 20. … The game features two of the top freshman in the country in BYU’s Egor Demin and Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe.