BYU Basketball’s Big 12 Matchups Revealed For First Year Under Kevin Young
Jun 27, 2024, 9:12 AM | Updated: 9:50 am
BYU basketball guard Dallin Hall will look to lead the Cougars through a 20-game Big 12 Conference game schedule in 2024-25. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah— Despite entering its second year as a Big 12 member, BYU basketball will experience many new things during its second conference schedule.
The most notable change is on the bench, as Kevin Young guides the program in his first year as head coach. But what’s also new is the conference membership, with four Pac-12 schools joining the league: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and rival Utah.
#BYU men's basketball Big 12 Conference matchups for 2024-25 season.
Home-and-Away: Arizona, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Utah, West Virginia
Home-only: Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech
Away-only: UCF, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, TCU#BYUHoops
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) June 27, 2024
In addition, the Big 12 has a 20-game conference schedule this season instead of last year’s 18-game slate.
The change in conference schedule was due to the increase in membership to 16 programs.
20-game schedule for the Big 12
On Thursday, the Big 12 Conference revealed the matchups for all 16 teams. Each team will play each other once, and then every program will face five league foes twice, in a home and away format.
Opponents were selected based on a combination of geography, historical results and a poll of the coaches to best balance the schedule in terms of travel and competitiveness. A full Big 12 schedule will be released at a later date.
BYU’s five home and away opponents include rival Utah and projected preseason Top-15 team Arizona. The last time BYU and Utah played twice a season was in 2011 when the two programs were in the Mountain West Conference together.
BYU’s last meeting against Arizona was at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City in 2010. Jimmer Fredette led BYU to an 87-65 victory over the Wildcats. The year before that, in 2009, Fredette set a McKale Center record, dropping 49 points in a 99-69 victory against Arizona.
#BYU will be hosting Arizona in the Marriott Center for the first time since 1998.
The Cougars will make their first visit to the McKale Center since 2009. Jimmer Fredette set a McKale Center record in that game, scoring 49 points.#BYUHoops #Big12
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) June 27, 2024
Arizona’s last visit to the Marriott Center was in 1998. A young BYU team led by freshman Mark Bigelow nearly upset the Wildcats before falling 78-74.
BYU’s other home-and-away opponents include Arizona State, who they played last season in the Vegas Showdown. ASU hasn’t visited Provo since 2009. BYU will also face Cincinnati and West Virginia twice.
West Virginia will be making their first-ever visit to the Marriott Center.
Kansas visits the Marriott Center for the first time
One year after pulling a shocking upset at Allen Fieldhouse, the Kansas Jayhawks make their first visit to Provo since 1960. That game was played at the Smith Fieldhouse. Kansas will be playing its first-ever game at the Marriott Center.
BYU did the unthinkable … won at Allen Fieldhouse
BYU 76, Kansas 68 pic.twitter.com/Vec5NkYbGA
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 28, 2024
Kansas finished last season with an uncharacteristic sixth-place finish in the Big 12. The Jayhawks have retooled this offseason, bringing in Wisconsin transfer AJ Storr and returning Hunter Dickinson for one more season.
Other notable games on BYU’s Big 12 matchups include a road trip to potential No. 1 team Houston. Last season, BYU nearly pulled off an upset against the Coogs, who won the Big 12 Conference outright last season.
BYU lost to Houston 75-68 at the Marriott Center.
The other Away-only opponents on BYU’s 20-game schedule include UCF, Colorado, Iowa State, and TCU.
BYU basketball has put together an impressive offseason. It started with the hiring of Kevin Young, previously the associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns.
Young made roster retention a top priority. He brought back Honorable Mention All-Big 12 guard Dallin Hall and Richie Saunders. BYU also kept Honorable Mention All-Big 12 forward Fousseyni Traore.
The Cougars made splashes on the recruiting trail by landing coveted Real Madrid guard Egor Demin and landing former Purdue signee Kanon Catchings. Both players are viewed as potential first-round NBA draft picks next year.
Big 12 matchups for BYU Basketball in 2024-25 season
Home-and-Away: Arizona, Arizona State, Cincinnati, Utah, West Virginia
Home-only: Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech
Away-only: UCF, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, TCU
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
