BYU is on a two-game winning streak over a very good Iowa State program. Last year, the Cougars beat the Cyclones both times the teams faced each other, and both games were instant classics.
In last year's regular season game then No. 17 BYU won a monumental game in Ames, Iowa against the No. 12 Cyclones in double overtime. Richie Saunders and Dallin Hall combined for 45 points in that massive win.
Not long after, the two teams squared off in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 conference tournament. No. 17 BYU beat No. 12 Iowa State 96-92 as Richie Saunders dropped 23 points, Fousseyni Traore had 15, and Trevin Knell 14.
Fast forward a year and none of the BYU players mentioned above will be suiting up for the Cougars. As we all know, Richie Saunders recently tore his ACL in a gut-punch for him personally, his NBA future, and Cougar fans everywhere. Dallin Hall is balling for No. 14 Virginia after transferring this year, while Fouss and Trevin graduated.
It's a lot of new faces for the Cougars as they prepare to host the Cyclones, but one fact that remains is BYU is on a two-game winning streak against Iowa State. Here's how the Cougs can run their winning streak to three:
Limit Momcilovic's blistering 3-point shooting
Kenpom ranks Iowa State as the No. 15 offense in the country with a 125.2 offensive rating, meaning that's how many points the Cyclones score every 100 possessions. One of the main reasons Iowa State is lighting up scoreboards is because of their incredible 39.8% 3-point shooting as a team on 22.7 attempts per game.
Iowa State's team 3-point percentage is bolstered by forward Milan Momcilovic's incredible 51.3% on 7.4 attempts per game. He's arguably the best 3-point shooter in the country this year. Momcilovic accounts for approximately one-third of Iowa State's 3-point attempts all by himself, and if the Cougars can find a way to throw him off his game at the Marriott Center, they stand a chance to win.
BYU's defense, meanwhile, ranks No. 47 via Kenpom with a defensive rating of 101.9, which is good, but not great. While it feels like BYU's opponents are shooting somewhere near 80% from the 3-point line this year (okay, that's a bit of a stretch, but might check out with some Cougars fans), BYU's opponents are hitting 33.3% of their attempts from deep.
If the Cougars can find a way to limit Iowa State's prolific 3-point shooting -- and Momcilovic's shooting specifically -- Kevin Young's squad can stay in this game.
Help Alexsej Kostic break out from the bench
It's hard to be overly critical about BYU's toothless bench scoring when they have played most of the season without reserves they were counting on like senior scorer Dawson Baker, guard KJ Perry who was the No. 1 JUCO transfer in the country, and emerging sophomore Brody Kozlowski.
Throw in the devastating Richie Saunders injury and it's no wonder AD Dybantsa and Robert Wright III are carrying almost all of the offensive load.
Even then, the Cougars need to find some bench scoring. The guys they are putting out on the court might not be fully ready for primetime, but they are still Division One basketball players who are talented enough to sign with one of the best teams in the country in the best conference in America.
Specifically, freshman Alexsej Kostic has a golden opportunity to establish himself as a bench scorer, and the Cougars need him to claim that throne against the Cyclones. The 6-foot-4 guard has been quiet this year on the whole, but he's shooting a respectable 34.3% from the 3-point line on 35 attempts this season.
Earlier this year he went 5-of-8 from deep against UC Riverside. In BYU's first matchup against Arizona he hit both of his 3-point attempts. Two games ago against Colorado he went 2-of-4 from the 3-point line.
If Kostic can go something like 3-of-7 from the 3-point line against Iowa State, that will go a long, long way for a BYU bench that struggles to score double digits as a unit any given night. His presence on the 3-point line could also open up driving lanes for Dybantsa and Wright, something the team desperately needs.
BYU has won two in a row against a very good Iowa State program.
Let's see if they can extend the streak to three.