It’s the start of conference play as a pair of teams from the WCC do battle on the hardwood in the Golden State. The BYU Cougars are on the road as they make the trip to face the Pacific Tigers Thursday night. BYU comes in off a 63-57 home victory over Weber State in their previous contest last Thursday, though they failed to cover as a 13.5-point favorite. Pacific knocked off Lamar 74-65 on the road in their most recent game back on December 20 though they failed to cover as a 13-point favorite. In the all-time series between the programs, BYU owns a 16-7 advantage but it was Pacific earning a 76-73 home win in the most recent matchup on January 29, 2022.
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BYU ran their win streak to five games as they managed to take down Weber State in their last game, though they did fail to cover the line. The Cougars head into the heart of conference play with a 10-5 record as they try to extend their win streak to six games. Against Weber State, BYU relied on their defense as their offense failed to deliver for long stretches of the contest. The Cougars led by five at the half and extended to a 10-point lead with 15:02 to go before Weber State fought back. BYU saw the lead trimmed to one at 55-54 with 2:38 to play before closing the game on an 8-3 run to secure the victory. The Cougars shot 38.5% from the field, including six of 24 from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 39-27. Foussenyi Traore led BYU with 17 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the win.
The Cougars are putting up 76.6 points a game so far this season, putting them 107t h in the nation in scoring offense. BYU is grabbing 40.9 boards per game (19th) and dishes out an average of 16.1 assists a night. The Cougars are below average on the defensive end as they are 221st in the nation with 69.9 points per game allowed this year. Foussenyi Traore is second on the team in scoring this season as he puts up 13.1 points plus 8.4 rebounds per contest. Spencer Johnson (11 points, 4.3 rebounds) and Gideon George (12 points, 6.1 rebounds) are solid secondary scorers. Rudi Williams (13.7 points, 2.6 boards, three assists), Noah Waterman, Jaxson Robinson, Atiki Ally Atiki, Richie Saunders, Dallin Hall and Trey Stewart are all key contributors for coach Mark Pope. BYU shoots 43.9% from the floor as a team. The Cougars sink 8.9 three-pointers per game while shooting 32.6% from downtown. BYU is struggling so far at the free throw line, sinking just 68.6% of their chances this season.