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BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. shoots during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Utah, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Provo, Utah.

Tyler Tate, AP Photo

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BYU's Kennard Davis Jr. goes up for a shot in a men's college basketball game against Pacific at the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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Kennard Davis Jr. has had a rough ride in Provo, but maybe he’s turning things around.

Davis came to BYU from Eastern Illinois, where he averaged 16.3 points per game and shot 38% from the 3-point line last season. At 6-foot-6, the St. Louis, Mo., native was expected to provide additional scoring punch and solid perimeter defense for the Cougars.

Davis has started all 17 games where he’s been available (he missed three games in mid-November due to a team suspension after being arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence) and is averaging 7.2 points and shooting 31.5% (28 of 89) from the 3-point line.

Slowed by some nagging injuries, Davis was mired in an 0-for-18 slump from beyond the arc over a five-game stretch but made five straight triples in the second half of Monday’s 86-83 loss to top-ranked Arizona at the Marriott Center.

“Moo (Davis) has had a rough go, but he’s a tough kid,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said. “He stepped up and made plays. I mean, the game’s about making shots, that’s the bottom line, and he can shoot. That’s why he’s on the floor. I also thought he came in and executed defensively better than some of the guys who played more minutes, so he’s probably earned himself bigger opportunity. Around AJ (Dybantsa) and Rob (Wright) we need guys that can knock shots down. He definitely turned the tide.”

Aleksej Kostic also came off the bench to make big shots, going 2 of 2 from distance in the second half. BYU was 10 of 20 from beyond the arc in the second 20 minutes of play.

“Moo was bound to make something,” BYU senior guard Richie Saunders said. ” He was due for it. He’s an incredible shooter and I was really happy that he kind of found that rhythm. And Alex, that’s what he does. You guys don’t get to see that all the time, but we do. And I’m proud of him for stepping up.”

The Cougars trailed the Wildcats by 19 points, 64-45 with 10:53 to play and by 11, 82-71, with just over a minute to go but found themselves with the ball down one with 12 seconds to go.

Arizona’s Brayden Burries blocked Wright’s shot attempt in the key in the final seconds, recovered the ball and made two free throws for the final margin.

Saunders had fouled out near the one-minute mark and neither Wright (3 for 15) nor Dybantsa (6 for 24) had shot the ball well. Young went to Wright, who penetrated and found himself open in the middle of the key. But Burries had dropped off his man (Davis) and swatted Wright’s shot attempt.

“Quite frankly, he (Wright) and AJ, neither one of them really had it going, but those are our guys,” Young said. “We ride and die with them. The first option was to get AJ the ball. They clogged the area we were trying to get it to. And then we got the ball in Rob’s hands to make a play.”

The Big 12 schedule continues to be a huge challenge for the 13th-ranked Cougars (17-3 overall, 5-2 Big 12) with games at No. 14 Kansas, home against No. 10 Houston, and a rematch against the Wildcats in Tucson over the next three weeks.

“I feel good about our stacking up with any team in this in this country,” Young said.

Saunders added after the loss to Arizona: “It sucks when this happens and when you come up short, right? But if we can figure out how to just execute for that full 40 minutes, and not have lapses, that’s when we can reach our potential.”