A pair of well-known mid-major programs take the floor in a pretty solid non-conference matchup when the WCC locks up with the Mountain West in the Golden State. The BYU Cougars are on the road as they make the trip down the coast to face the #19 San Diego State Aztecs Friday night. BYU opened their season with a 60-56 home victory over Idaho State Monday night though they came nowhere near covering the 24-point line in the contest. San Diego State cruised to an 80-57 home victory over CSU Fullerton in their season opener Monday night though they narrowly failed to cover the 23.5-point line in the game. In the all-time series between the schools, the Cougars own a 50-24 advantage and have won the last two meetings. That includes a 66-60 home win in the most recent matchup on November 12, 2021.
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BYU won their season opener at home in front of a partisan crowd at the Marriott Center but it was a less than inspiring performance. Mark Pope’s team prevailed by just four against an Idaho State team that was a 24-point underdog and who finished the 2021-22 campaign just 7-23 overall and recorded only five wins against Division I opponents. The Cougars are going to have to play a lot better as the season goes on if they hope to be much of a contender in a conference that has powerhouse Gonzaga along with Saint Mary’s at the top of the heap. BYU will have their work cut out for them here as they face an Aztecs’ team that is stingy on the defensive end of the floor.
Against Idaho State, BYU started strong but had long lulls that nearly cost them the contest. The Cougars jumped to a 9-0 lead just under four minutes into the game but gave up a 14-4 run to trail by one with 5:24 to play in the first half. BYU used an 8-3 run over the final 2:26 of the first half to break a 19-19 tie and lead by five at the half. The Cougars led by seven two minutes into the second half only to give up a 21-6 run to trail 45-37 with 10:52 to play in the contest. BYU still trailed by five with 3:16 to play before closing the game on a 12-3 run to earn the victory. The Cougars shot only 37.3% from the floor, including three of 16 from beyond the arc, and turned the ball over 23 times in the contest. BYU did force 22 Idaho State turnovers and controlled the boards 42-30 while holding the Bengals to 38% shooting. Fousseyni Traore led the Cougars with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Spencer Johnson (six rebounds) added 11 points while Gideon George (eight rebounds) chipped in 10 points in the win.