The BYU Cougars will play the Loyola Marymount Lions on Saturday in the West Coast Conference Tournament. Tip-off from Orleans Arena in Las Vegas is at 7:00 p.m. PT.
Loyola Marymount (19-11 SU, 17-11-1 ATS) defeated Pepperdine in its regular-season finale. The Lions were 3-2 straight-up in their last five games and were 9-7 in WCC play.
BYU (18-14 SU, 17-13 ATS) defeated Portland in the second round of the WCC Tournament. The Cougars are 2-3 straight-up in their last five games and were 7-9 in WCC regular-season competition.
BYU and Loyola Marymount split their two me etings this season. The Lions won 64-59 on January 5, and the Cougars won 89-61 on February 2. Both home teams were victorious. Brigham Young dominated its home matchup with Loyola Marymount with a +11 rebounding advantage and 53.0 percent shooting.
The Cougars lead the all-time series 23-5.
BYU beat Portland 82-71 in the second round of the conference tournament on Friday after receiving a first-round bye. The Cougars trailed 43-30 at halftime and rallied in the second half to advance, outscoring the Pilots 52-28. Both teams shot over 40 percent from the field and led by double digits, but Brigham Young absolutely dominated on the glass with a +22 rebounding advantage. The Pilots had 24 total rebounds and the Cougars had 20 offensive rebounds.
Fousseyni Traore leads the Cougars in scoring. The sophomore forward averaged 13.2 points and 8.0 rebounds in the regular season with a 60.4 FG%. Other players to watch when BYU takes the floor are senior guard Rudi Williams (12.7 PPG), junior guard Spencer Johnson (11.1 PPG and 3.7 RPG), and senior fo rward Gideon George (10.7 PPG and 6.0 RPG).
The Cougs are HOT ?? pic.twitter.com/eHx5HxN6Sp
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 4, 2023
BYU scores 75.6 points per game (93rd) and shoots 45.3 percent from the floor (151st) with a 33.8 shooting percentage from long range (207th). It converts 71.7 percent of its free throw attempts (181st) and averages 33.7 rebounds (65th) with a +5.8 rebounding margin. The Cougars are 123rd in KenPom’s schedule-adjusted offensive efficiency and 153rd in effective field goal percentage (51.2%).
BYU surrenders 69.9 points per game on defense (181st), and its opponents shoot 43.2 percent (141st), including 34.2 percent from three-point range (211th). The Cougars are 38th in adjusted defensive efficiency, 213th in assist-per-turnover ratio, and 47th in adjusted tempo.
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