Everyone knew BYU basketball might struggle on their trip to Houston for their second battle with a Big 12 foe, but when Kevin Young's squad met the top-ranked defense in the nation, there was no doubt who was winning this game before the halftime buzzer sounded.
Final score from Houston. pic.twitter.com/Svg6Eg1Gqm
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 4, 2025
BYU's offense was swarmed play after play, while the ever-aggressive Houston defenders doubled, trapped, and confounded the BYU ball-handlers play after play. Loose balls, sloppy passes, and relentless physicality caught the boys in blue by surprise, as they would cough up turnover after turnover, tallying 15 giveaways.
The Coogs fed their visitors a healthy helping of Houston Hot Chicken, unleashing a barrage of 3-pointers that was as spicy as it was unceasing. BYU's 1-3-1 zone was no obstacle to a talented and poised Houston side that found open corner 3s from start to finish.
The largest disparity between opposing Cougars was the physicality. Houston punched BYU in the mouth from the jump, setting the tone with enough swipes, bumps, and contact to force a difficult choice onto the officials: call everything or call nothing.
With a 86-55 final score from Houston, you can deduce how this game was called. Both teams were called for 15 fouls over the course of the game, and BYU couldn't match the physicality of their conference buddies.
Kelvin Sampson has an outstanding basketball team on his hands, and they outperformed BYU in every aspect of this game. This will be the last time these two face off outside a hypothetical meeting in the conference tournament.
Trevin Knell lead all scorers for BYU, scoring 12 points and being the only Coug to tally a double-digit point total. He hit 4-6 from long range, and was easily the most consistent performer from the blue corner.
Egor Demin's passing ability is clearly elite, and he handled the Houston blitz with relative ease, managing another 7 assist output (that would have been higher were it not for a few blunders at the rim). His shot still refuses to fall with any consistency, as Demin only managed a meager 3 points.
Kanon Catchings showed flashes of the incredible athleticism that gets NBA scouts optimistic regarding his potential at the next level. He snagged a steal and a block, while only knocking down one of his 3 attempts from beyond the arc.
Not even Richie Saunders could pull the Cougars out of the immediate double-digit hole they fell into. Houston kept piling on the points, and BYU simply had no answer. This was an especially brutal showing from Keita and Traore, both of whom were completely overwhelmed by Houston inside.
A forgettable game from the BYU side, and it's given Kevin Young and his staff plenty to think about moving forward.