Young coaching third version of Cougars heading into Big 12 Tournament
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- BYU head coach Kevin Young, right, argues with a referee during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Colorado, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, in Provo, Utah.
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- BYU fans storm the court after the Cougars upset No. 10 Texas Tech 82-76 at the Marriott Center on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
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- BYU’s AJ Dybantsa drives to the basket against Texas Tech in a Big 12 men’s basketball game at the Marriott Center on Saturday, March 7, 2026.
There’s no question the BYU men’s basketball team has gone through a lot of adversity this season.
So much so, in fact, that it’s probably been the most challenging coaching job of Kevin Young’s career.
“It’s been a tough year, coaching basically three different iterations of the team,” Young admitted. “The team we thought we were going to have, then a couple guys get done (the Nate Pickens and Dawson Baker injuries) for the year, then Richie (Saunders) and that group, and then he gets hurt. And now you’re on your third iteration. You never stop learning as a coach, particularly when your team just constantly changing.
“That trip out east (losses at West Virginia and Cincinnati) was difficult. We had to do some soul searching. I had to do a lot of thinking. What the conclusion of that was, man, we’ve just got to simplify things and just dumb it down. Just not try to get cute on defense with scheme and this and that, just make it pretty solid and simple for the guys and to just hold them accountable to play a little bit harder, rotate harder, rotate longer, stronger, things like that.”
Young did have some extra help on the bench: Saunders was constantly talking to his teammates during Saturday’s game.
“It was amazing,” Young said. “Richie just wants to see us win. He just wants to do anything he can to help. I thought he was a steadying kind of voice over there during the game. And his leadership is a reason we’re able to get the win.”
There was a lot to celebrate after Saturday’s 82-76 victory against No. 10 Texas Tech, but the celebration can’t last too long.
The Cougars finished 9-9 in Big 12 play, tied for seventh with West Virginia, UCF and Cincinnati – all teams BYU lost to during the last month. So the Cougars became the No. 10 seed and will face No. 15 seed Kansas State on Tuesday at 5 p.m. MT.
Not a lot of time to prepare or recover.
“I think it’s just about making sure we get into treatment and take care of our bodies, like we’ve done all season,” sophomore guard Robert Wright III said. “We’ve got to win every game, so just moving on this week to the summer, we’re just coming in hungry.”
To win the Big 12 Tournament the Cougars would have to win five games in five days. More realistically, BYU needs to win at least a couple of games to secure a good seed in the NCAA Tournament. Anything beyond that would be gravy.
“With playoffs, you just have to rely on your habits, right?” Young said. “You can’t come out and do something uncharacteristic. You’ve got to rely on what’s gotten you to that point, do what you’re good at. Do your job and ultimately if you do that, if you’re able to execute, that leads to wins.”
A great experience
Saunders was not made available to the media after the win against Texas Tech but the other three seniors were in the post-game news conference.
Senior forward Keba Keita has played two seasons in Provo after transferring from the University of Utah.
“I’m grateful that I’ve chosen to come to BYU,” Keita said. “Credit to Utah, also. I’m grateful because that’s what led me to come here. I’m just super grateful. It’s been great for me on and off the court, the great people that you meet here. It’s been awesome, to be honest.”
Senior forward Mihailo Boskovic has also played two seasons with the Cougars.
“I would just say the past two years, coming in here from Serbia, I didn’t know much about BYU or college basketball in general. I think it was a great place, like one of the best places I could come to. I had an amazing two years, amazing teammates and coaches, and met a lot of great people.”
Walk-on Jared McGregor suited up for BYU for four years after playing his high school basketball at Westlake.
“It’s meant everything,” McGregor said. “Growing up a BYU fan here in Utah, being able to live out my dream and play here the last four years. To end it like that, with a court storm, it was a nice little cherry on top to end it here at the Marriott Center. So I’m super blessed to be to be able to play here.”
Storm warning
The ROC (Roar of Cougars) spilled out of the stands for a court storming at the conclusion of the win against Texas Tech.
“I was just happy for our our guys, number one, and happy for the fans,” Young said. “Our fan base is second to absolutely none. They’re just incredible, everywhere we go, and then the home crowd. Sometimes I do this before tip off: I just scan the crowd, and it’s amazing to see that many people that energetic and that excited, then to have them rush the court.
“I actually came through this way (the west end of the arena) to get out so I didn’t get caught up in it. Then I went back out to see what was going on. It’s just cool and I’m just happy for our guys to pull out a really hard-fought win and have a really good basketball game against a good team on our Senior Night. Being able to send the fans off on a high note here at the Marriott Center was fun and rewarding.”
Scouting report
Kansas State (12-19 overall, 3-15 Big 12) fired head coach Jerome Tang on Feb. 11. The Wildcats, under interim coach Matthew Driscoll, have gone 2-7 in Big 12 play since to finish just ahead of last place Utah.
BYU opened Big 12 play in Manhattan with an 83-73 victory against the Wildcats on Jan. 3, with AJ Dybantsa scoring 23 points and Keba Keita contributing 11 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks.
Kansas State’s biggest threat is guard PJ Haggerty, who scored 24 against BYU and is averaging 23.3 points per game. The Wildcats lost lost four of their final five games with a 65-63 win at home against West Virginia without an injured Haggerty. On Saturday, Kansas State got blown out at No. 14 Kansas 104-85 and Haggerty scored 21 points in his return.
According to the Wichita Eagle, Utah State’s Jarrod Calhoun is the frontrunner for the vacant head coaching job in Manhattan, with Kansas State also interested in Belmont’s Casey Alexander and Creighton assistant Alan Huss.
Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament
First Round Game
No. 10 seed BYU (21-10) vs. No. 15 seed Kansas State (12-19)
Tuesday, 5 p.m. MT
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: BYU Radio
Live stats: bucougars.com
The Word: BYU leads the all-time series with Kansas State 6-5. … The Cougars won 83-73 in Manhattan on Jan. 3 to open Big 12 play. … The last time BYU and the Wildcats met at a neutral site was at the second round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament in Oklahoma City, a game won by KSU 84-72. … The winner of Tuesday’s game moves on to Wednesday’s quarterfinals against No. 7 seed West Virginia.
