BYU Basketball is back, and it is starting with a big game in Las Vegas against blue blood Villanova. The Cougars start the season ranked #8 in the country, and are 9.5-point favorites. BYU has brought names like Rob Wright, AJ Dybansta, and Xavion Staton to the program while retaining key players like Keba Keita and Richie Saunders. These five players, along with the rest of the team, will be key to success this year.
BYU basketball split exhibition games, losing to Nebraska 90-89, while beating North Carolina. Dybasnta has not disappointed; he has proven to be an elite scorer and strong defender. BYU has a solid team that can score in several different ways, making them difficult to stop. The Cougars are improving and appear poised to make a deep run in March Madness.
Villanova is usually a strong blue-blood program, but they are not ranked this year. The Wildcats finished last year in sixth place in the Big East Conference, with a record of 21-15 (11-9). The Wildcats are coached by Kevin Willard. Villanova and BYU have met three times before, with Villanova leading the all-time series 2-1, and winning two straight games.
BYU basketball and Kevin Young are gearing up for what should be an exciting game in Vegas tonight. This is the best BYU Basketball has looked in a long time, and it will be a good test to see where the Cougars are at before the gauntlet of Big 12 play starts. The opener seems like BYU's to win -- it will be exciting.