The eighth-ranked Cougars are fresh off a neutral-site (by definition) victory against the Villanova Wildcats, marking the first win of the year and an ideal opening to what should be a very challenging non-conference schedule for Kevin Young and crew. If this were 2018, I'd be losing my mind over the fact that BYU took down Villanova, but circumstances have changed dramatically since the Wildcats' last national championship.
All the same, there are innumerable reasons to be ecstatic over the state of BYU basketball this year, not the least of which are new, talented additions to the team like Robert Wright III from Baylor, Kennard Davis Jr. from Southern Illinois, and, oh yeah, the number one recruit in all of the 2025 high school class and projected top 3 pick in the NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa.
With returning talent in Richie Saunders -- who played an excellent game against the Wildcats despite waking up violently ill that same morning -- and Keba Keita who fears no man, nor block attempt, this is a team with legitimate Final Four upside.
They face a Holy Cross side on Saturday in Provo, which suffered a loss in their season-opener, a 10-point loss at the hands of Providence in Rhode Island. The Crusaders were picked to finish 9th of the 10 Patriot League members in the official preseason poll and enter this season without much aspiration for a postseason berth.
But that could all change if you take down a top 10 school in a challenging environment like Provo's Marriott Center.
With all this power coursing through my fingertips, do I dare wield the pen in favor of the Crusaders to steal an upset victory over the Cougars? No, I'm not crazy (at least diagnosably), nor will I work against my own self-interest in the infancy of the most highly anticipated BYU basketball season -- I'm saving that sort of negativity for when the Cougars' early-season struggles clash with Houston. Stay tuned.
BYU will serve as the first leg of Holy Cross' Beehive State road trip, as they turn around and face Utah in the Huntsman Center two days later. Expect fireworks from the Cougars' stars, perhaps a 30-bomb from Dybantsa, and the bench to be emptied before the final two minutes of game time (Jared McGregor enthusiasts, rejoice!).
These teams square off on Saturday evening at 7:00 PM, giving you plenty of time to recover from the Texas Tech football game -- good or bad.