BYU basketball: Previewing the Niagara Purple Eagles

BYU basketball is looking to bounce back after a disappointing loss to UT-Arlington. Can the Cougars get back to their winning ways against Niagara?

After getting beat by the UT-Arlington Mavericks last weekend, BYU basketball is looking to return to form against the Niagara Purple Eagles.

On paper, it seems like a very winnable matchup for the Cougar Cagers. That’s good news for the Cougars, because they’ll need some momentum heading into a big-time matchup with Alabama on Black Friday.

So here’s what to know about the Purple Eagles.

Offensively, it’s mainly a two-man show for Niagara. A pair of senior guards provide most of the sparks.

Those two guards are Matt Scott and Kahlil Dukes.

Scott is shooting 48.8 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point range. Through three games he’s averaging 20.3 points and eight rebounds per game.

Dukes has been no less impressive on the season, shooting 45.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep. He’s averaging 21.7 points and five assists per game. Dukes also set the Niagara program record for free-throw percentage in a season last year, connecting on 92.1 of his free throws.

In their last game, the Purple Eagles fell to UMass (at least we Cougars aren’t the only ones losing to the Minutemen). Allowing 100+ points for the second game in a row. So BYU basketball shouldn’t have any trouble getting good looks. Granted, the Cougars had plenty of fine looks against UT-Arlington, but they couldn’t connect.

Still, it would be one impressive upset for the Purple Eagles to knock off the Cougars in the Marriott Center. In fact, ESPN’s Matchup Predictor gives BYU basketball a 92.4 percent chance of winning.

For the Cougars, it will be interesting to see how Elijah Bryant bounces back from his poor shooting performance against the Mavericks. Bryant missed 11 shots against UT-Arlington and made just one 3-pointer.

BYU basketball will take on Niagara on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 7PM MT.