No. 13 BYU Locked In for Rivalry Rematch with High-Scoring Utah
There’s no such thing as a “trap game” when it comes to rivalry week-or Big 12 play. That’s the message BYU head coach Kevin Young is driving home as his 13th-ranked Cougars gear up for a heated showdown with Utah on Saturday at the Marriott Center.
BYU (4-1 Big 12, 16-2 overall) enters the 268th edition of this storied rivalry with momentum, but not without urgency. Coming off a tough road loss at Texas Tech, the Cougars know there’s no room for letdowns-especially with unbeaten No.
1 Arizona looming just 48 hours later. But for Young, the focus is squarely on the Utes.
“Look, with Utah, if we went up to Salt Lake and beat them by 30, maybe (it’s a trap game),” Young said this week. “If we weren’t coming off a loss, maybe.
But Utah’s a good team. They’ve played everyone in our league tough.
They’ve got two of the best scorers in the Big 12.”
And he’s not wrong. Utah’s backcourt has been lighting it up.
Terrence Brown, a 6-foot-3 scoring guard, dropped 33 on Kansas State and put up 25 in the first meeting against BYU earlier this month. His backcourt partner, Dom McHenry, added 21 in that game and followed it up with 15 against Arizona.
BYU escaped Salt Lake City with a win in that first matchup, but it didn’t come easy. The Utes pushed the Cougars to the edge in a raucous atmosphere, and Young believes that experience was valuable for his squad.
“They played well,” Young said. “Those two guards have been torching the Big 12.
They’re doing it to every team. I thought it was good for our guys to have to be in a hostile environment and find a way to win.”
Now, the setting flips to Provo, where the Cougars have quietly built one of the nation’s toughest home-court advantages. BYU has won 12 straight at the Marriott Center, a streak dating back to last season that now ranks tied for 18th-longest in Division I basketball. Young is 23-2 at home over the past two seasons and a perfect 8-0 in Quad 3 games-like this one against Utah.
KenPom gives BYU a 19-point edge, but don’t expect anyone in that locker room to take the Utes lightly. Utah (1-5 Big 12, 9-10 overall) hasn’t won in Provo since 2014, but rivalry games have a way of ignoring the record books.
“As a competitor, you love playing in games like that,” Young said. “There’s maybe a hint of bad blood-actually, not a hint, just full intensity-with the fans. I know BYU fans will want to return the favor and make this an amazing atmosphere, given what they did up there.”
Young’s team has had an edge in practice this week-what he called “ornery”-after surrendering a nine-point lead late in Lubbock and falling 84-71 to Texas Tech. That loss snapped a six-game win streak and served as a sharp reminder of how unforgiving Big 12 basketball can be.
“I thought Friday’s practice was great,” Young said. “A couple of the other days were more of a grind. But our guys found a way to get better and stay focused-and still be a little ticked off that we didn’t get a win on the road.”
That edge will be crucial, because the Cougars are staring down a quick turnaround. After Saturday’s rivalry tilt, they’ll have less than 48 hours before hosting top-ranked Arizona on Monday night. And with BYU’s policy of no Sunday practices, game prep for the Wildcats will be limited.
“We’ve talked about some things we can do on Sunday that are above board,” Young said. “We’ve gone through the necessary channels to make sure we’re doing things the right way, but we’re not losing sight of the task at hand, which is to beat Utah.”
Health-wise, BYU is managing the usual midseason wear and tear. Center Keba Keita is nursing a lingering ankle issue, freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa has a wrap on his shoulder, and redshirt freshman Khadim Mboup suffered a lower leg injury against Texas Tech. Still, Young sounded optimistic about the overall status of his roster.
“Guys are banged up this time of year all across the board,” he said. “As it relates to Khadim, I don’t think it was as bad as it looked. We’ll see what the updates say.”
This matchup marks a chance for BYU to secure its first three-game win streak over Utah since 2020-22, back when the two schools were in separate conferences and met just once a year. Now, with both programs in the Big 12, the stakes are higher-and the intensity even more dialed in.
Next Up:
📍 Utah (1-5, 9-10) at No. 13 BYU (4-1, 16-2)
📅 Saturday, 3:30 p.m. MST
📍 Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
📺 FOX
The rivalry is real. The arena will be rocking. And for BYU, there’s no looking past the Utes-not with pride, rankings, and NCAA seeding all on the line.