The Big 12 has laid out BYU’s path through conference play, and the Cougars now know the shape of their 18-game schedule. The league announced the full men’s basketball slate on Tuesday, with game times and TV assignments still to come.
BYU’s conference schedule includes three home-and-away opponents, six teams that will visit Provo only, and six road-only matchups. The Cougars will play Utah, Arizona and TCU twice.
Kansas, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, West Virginia, Cincinnati and Baylor are the home-only opponents. On the road only, BYU will travel to Arizona State, UCF, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State and Texas Tech.
The first home date on the calendar comes Wednesday, January 6, when Cincinnati visits. Kansas follows on Saturday, giving BYU back-to-back home games to open conference play.
It will be the second time BYU has hosted Kansas in Provo as a Big 12 member; the previous meeting there came on a weekday two years ago. With BYU’s winter semester beginning January 7, every home game will fall while students are in school.
The season opener, meanwhile, is on the road at Arizona State.
One date already had a spotlight attached to it: BYU’s home game against Arizona on February 22 is set for ESPN’s “Big Monday.”
The regular season wraps up March 5 at Texas Tech, a Friday night game that points toward a prime-time slot on FOX with Gus Johnson on the call.
BYU’s bye lands in February, between the Utah and Kansas State games.
On paper, the slate looks fairly even. The toughest games are spread out, though the first half appears more demanding than the second. January stands out as the hardest stretch right now, with Kansas, Arizona, Iowa State, TCU and Houston all coming off tournament seasons and expected to be in that mix again.
In Other News...
BYUs 2-0 Start Has A Breakout Star Fans Didnt See Coming
BYUs 2-0 start has come with an unexpected name popping up everywhere on the stat sheet. Cannon DeVries, the sophomore defensive back, has quickly become one of the Cougars most valuable players, leading the team in tackles while also giving the special teams unit a spark with his work as a kick and punt returner. His impact has stretched across both sides of the ball, and the coaching staff has leaned into his versatility at the nickel position.
The early-season resume already includes a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown in the opener, the kind of play that can change momentum for a young team in a hurry. Just as important for BYU, DeVries has looked steady enough in the defensive backfield to keep earning snaps, and teammates have taken notice of how naturally he has fit into a larger role. The bigger question now is how far that emergence can carry him as the schedule toughens and opponents start treating him like a player they have to plan around. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas States Fast Start Faces Its First Real Test Under Collin Klein
BYUs first Big 12 win came in convincing fashion, with Bear Bachmeier throwing for 217 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-17 victory over Arizona. It was the kind of league-opening result that can change the tone around a program quickly, especially with Oklahoma State already notching a defensive win against Oregon and Utah rolling past Idaho and Arkansas. For the Cougars, the early conference picture already has some shape to it, and the results around the league are starting to matter.
Kansas State has also opened strong under Collin Klein, putting together two wins as it heads into a matchup with Tulane. The Wildcats have looked steady in the early going, but this next game is the first real chance to see how that start holds up against a different kind of test. For BYU, it is another reminder that the Big 12 race will be full of moving parts, and that the teams getting off to clean starts are the ones worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Tight End Duo Is Becoming A Real Problem For Defenses
BYUs offense has found something useful early in the season in a tight end room that looks deeper and more dangerous than it has in years. USC transfer Walker Lyons and Oregon transfer Roger Saleapaga II have both flashed as pass catchers and as blockers, giving the Cougars a pair of versatile options who can stay on the field in a variety of looks. Coaches have already pointed to this group as the best tight end unit BYU has had since 2018, and it has the feel of a position that can quietly shape how the offense functions week to week.
What makes the setup even more interesting is that Lyons and Saleapaga are not being treated like an either-or proposition. BYU expects them to play significant roles together, with additional depth behind them helping keep the position fresh and flexible. For a team looking for reliable mismatch options and more physicality at the point of attack, that kind of two-headed threat can be a real headache for defenses trying to sort out who is blocking, who is releasing and where the ball might go next. [Read more 🡒]