If I can be completely candid, BYU basketball's road embarrassment at the hands of Providence was a concerning milestone in the Cougars' early season. In another game that saw BYU incapable of scoring at a reliable rate, this team saw their two NBA prospects unable to remove the lid from the basket, and it hurt their team big time.
In last night's battle with Fresno State, the Cougars got back on track and handled business throughout their 95-67 home blowout.
Egor Demin was absent in this one--he'll be spending the next week or so nursing a knee contusion--but his teammates stepped up big in the Cougars' return to the Marriott Center. As a unit, Kevin Young's offense shot 55% from the field and 41% from long range, and their defensive efforts complimented their offensive dominance by holding the 3-7 Bulldogs to only 34% field goal shooting.
Six Cougars scored in double digits in this one, and Trevin Knell's 22 points led the way on offense. Knell's in his groove at this point in the season. He hit 66% of his 3s last night and has shot 44.7% from beyond the arc on the season. Gearing up for Big 12 play, they'll need him to remain around 40% to keep the Cougs competitive--especially if Egor's absence persists.
Kanon Catchings flexed his explosiveness with an early slam, and a killer double-crossover move stapled his defender to the floor, allowing Kanon to fly to the rim and finish a difficult and-one. His stats didn't fly off the page, but his flashes of elite ball skills and athleticism are what NBA scouts will hold to throughout the year.
At halftime, however, an unexpected, but very welcome guest took the floor of the Marriott Center as the lights came down. Flashlights dotted the stands as we all waited in agonizing anticipation of what spectacle we were about to behold.
The lights came on, and out of the tunnel stepped AJ Dybantsa, the top recruit in the 2025 class, and recently-announced BYU commit.
The Marriott Center erupted for the future of BYU basketball, and AJ ate it up. On a night that would otherwise become a footnote in the story of this season, the moon rose and we harvested a feeling of unsaturated glee. For the first time of many, Dybantsa took the floor of the Marriott Center. The atmosphere was tangibly electric.
Even in the absence of Egor, the Cougars handled business. This year's team is moving in the right direction, while the future of basketball in Provo, Utah, has never stoked more excitement.