Sure, it would help if the Cougars got any help at all off the bench, but Davis has started 23 games and is already getting the minutes.

With the season-ending injury to All-Big 12 guard Richie Saunders, Davis is the definition of the sports mantra, “Next man up.”

The 6-foot-6 Davis came to Provo via the transfer portal from Southern Illinois, where last season he averaged 16.3 points per game and shot 38% from the 3-point line. The Cougars envisioned Davis as a “3-and-D” player similar to Mwot Mag, whose defense and timely shooting were key to the team’s run to the the Sweet 16 last season.

Davis is averaged 28.2 minutes is his 23 starts but his other numbers are significantly down: 7.3 points per game and a woeful 29% (33 of 114) from distance. Davis went 5 of 8 (62.5%) from the 3-point line against Arizona on Jan. 26 but in the six games since is just 5 of 25 (20%).

BYU head coach Kevin Young thinks there’s enough variety in Davis’ game that the Cougars can run more plays for him.

In Tuesday’s 75-68 loss at No. 4 Arizona, Davis scored 10 points on 2 of 4 from the field, 1 of 3 from the 3-point line and 4 of 4 on free throws.

“I thought tonight, we were clear,” Young said. “We were running stuff for him (Davis). I give him a lot of credit, because in a lot of ways, he was brought in here to do a role that was a lot different than the role he had last year. We were trying to use him as a ‘3 and D’ kind of catch-and-shoot guy, and really, he’s got a lot more to offer than that. So in a lot of ways, I’ve kind of held him hostage, and now he’s free to make a lot more plays. We’re going to need every bit of it. I think the way he’s handled things has been good. We’re trying to run a few more things for him, like we did tonight.”

Freshman AJ Dybantsa, who leads the country in scoring (24.8 points per game) after going for 35 in the loss to Arizona, said he believes in his teammates.

“The trust has always been,” Dybantsa said. “I’ve been working out with these guys since the summer. I know how they shoot it in practice. I know how hard they go in practice. So the trust is always there.”

SCOUTING REPORT

Another game, another Top 10 opponent as No. 6 Iowa State comes to the Marriott Center on Saturday.

BYU fans are despondent over the loss of Saunders and how the Cougars have gone from 16-1 and ranked in the Top 10 to 19-7 and struggling to stay above .500 in the Big 12. But here are BYU’s losses this season:

– At No. 3 UConn (by two points)

– At No. 15 Texas Tech (by 13)

– No. 1 Arizona (by three)

– At No. 14 Kansas (by eight)

– At Oklahoma State (by seven)

– No. 8 Houston (by 11)

– At No. 4 Arizona (by seven

Young is 6-11 against ranked opponents in his two seasons in Provo with just one of those wins coming in the Marriott Center (No. 23 Kansas in 2025). BYU is 2-16 all-time against Top 10 opponents at home, with the last victory against No. 2 Gonzaga in 2020.

The Cyclones are another very talented team, one with great senior leadership and lots of explosive shooters. Joshua Jefferson (16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.2 assists), Milan Momcilovic (18.0, 51.3% from 3) and Tamin Lipsey (13 points, 5.3 assists per game) are veterans who can score at will and the defense can be swarming.

Iowa State won its first 16 games this season and its only three losses were at Kansas (84-63), at Cincinnati (79-70) and at TCU (62-55). The Cyclones are coming off their biggest win of the season, a 70-67 victory at home against No. 2 Houston.

BYU and Iowa State met twice last season and one could argue those two meetings were the best two games in the Big 12. In Ames, BYU led by 21, saw the home team make a furious comeback, then won 88-85 in double overtime. In the Big 12 Tournament, the Cyclones’ Curtis Jones went nuts (seven 3-pointers, 31 points) but the Cougars survived 96-92 by making a tournament record 18 triples.

Men’s College Basketball

No. 6 Iowa State (23-3, 10-3 Big 12) at No. 23 BYU (19-7, 7-6 Big 12)

Saturday, 8:30 p.m. MT

Marriott Center, Provo

TV/Streaming: ESPN

Radio: KSL 102.7/1160 AM, BYU Radio-Sirus XM 143

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: Iowa State leads the overall series 7-3, but BYU has won the past two meetings (both in 2025). … The Cyclones are coming off their biggest win of the season, 70-67, at No. 2 Houston. … BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa is the leading scorer in the country (24.8) and has set a school freshman record for points scored (644), passing Danny Ainge (632 in 1977-78).