No. 23 BYU kept its perfect start intact Tuesday night, using a deep, balanced scoring effort to shake off Queens and win 98-82 in Provo, Utah.
Robert Wright III led the way with 21 points and six assists, giving the Cougars the steady play they needed once the game opened up in the second half. BYU got plenty of help around him, too. Bruce Branch III scored 15 points, Jaxon Kohler added 15 points and eight rebounds, Nate Pickens finished with 15 points, and Collin Chandler chipped in 12 as the Cougars moved to 3-0.
Queens had its own firepower. Rickey Ballard scored 18 points and hit 6 of 12 from 3-point range, while Caleb Jones also scored 18 and knocked down four threes. Avantae Parker posted 16 points and eight rebounds, and Nasir Mann added 14 points and seven assists for the Royals, who fell to 2-2 and lost for the second straight time.
The shooting from deep was a major part of the night on both sides. BYU finished at 45.9% from 3-point range, making 17 of 37 attempts. Queens wasn’t far behind at 41.2%, going 14 of 34.
The Cougars built a big cushion late in the first half, stretching the margin to 52-30 with 3:22 left before Queens answered with a 12-2 burst to close the period. Parker’s three-point play helped ignite that run, and Jones added a three as the Royals trimmed the halftime gap to 54-42.
Queens carried that momentum into the second half and quickly got within 54-48 after threes from Ballard and Mann. But BYU responded with a 13-0 run to take control again. Branch powered in a layup through contact and finished the three-point play, and Khadim Mboup’s tip-in pushed the Cougars ahead 72-53 with 12:15 left.
The Royals kept fighting. Consecutive threes from Isaiah Henry and Ballard cut the deficit to 72-59 with 11:16 remaining, and BYU’s edge in second-chance points, 12-5, helped steady things.
Then Wright took over again. With just under nine minutes left, he finished a slashing layup, buried a three, and watched Tyler Betsy add another triple as BYU ripped off an 8-0 run to go up 85-65.
Queens made one last push when Mann hit two free throws to make it 92-80 with 2:45 left, but that was as close as the Royals would get the rest of the way.
In Other News...
BYU Is Suddenly At The Center Of A Big 12 Playoff Push
The Big 12s playoff picture has started to look a lot different, and BYU is right in the middle of it. During a recent discussion, Josh Pate and Joel Klatt pointed to Utah, BYU and Texas Tech as teams building strong College Football Playoff cases, with the league suddenly drawing more respect for what its top contenders have done on the field.
For BYU, that matters because the conversation is no longer just about staying relevant in the conference race. The bigger question is whether the Big 12s collective resume can stack up with the nations best, and whether the league could land as many as three playoff bids. In a selection process increasingly driven by resumes rather than brand names, BYU finds itself in a spot where every week can reshape both its own path and the conferences ceiling. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Defense Has A Turnover Problem At The Worst Time
BYUs defense has been doing plenty of the hard part this fall, getting hands on passes and forcing quarterbacks to fit the ball into tighter windows. The Cougars still lead the nation in pass breakups, but the turnover column has not followed, and the secondary has now gone five games without an interception as the 2026 season has worn on.
Injuries to Raider Damuni and Evan Johnson have thinned out the back end, and Mississippi State transfer Jayven Williams has been asked to help steady things while also adding his own pass breakups. Coaches and players know the frustration is in finishing those plays, not just contesting them, and they remain confident the interceptions will come if the defense keeps putting itself in position. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Faces A Bigger Baylor Test Than Fans Might Think
The loss to Utah was frustrating enough on its own, but it also offered a reminder that BYU can still be pulled into the kind of tight, mistake-heavy game that leaves little margin for error. Utah made the most of red-zone chances and turned four Bear Bachmeier interceptions into the difference in a 28-20 result, even as BYU stayed in the top 10 of the College Football Playoff rankings and moved on to the next challenge on the schedule.
Baylor is the kind of follow-up opponent that can make that Utah game feel even more relevant. The Bears bring a defense that deserves real attention, and BYUs offensive picture is still shaped by the impact of LJ Martins injury, which adds another layer to a game that already asks plenty of the Cougars. If BYU wants to avoid letting one loss turn into a broader wobble, this is the sort of matchup that will show whether the response is immediate or still a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]