BYU Basketball Tips Off Kevin Young Era Against Central Arkansas
Nov 4, 2024, 9:53 PM
PROVO, Utah — One of the most anticipated BYU basketball seasons in program history will tip off on Tuesday night.
The anticipation is centered around the arrival of first-year head coach Kevin Young.
What Young accomplished before coaching a game is that fans of BYU basketball dream that Young can take the program to heights it has never experienced.
After assembling a balanced roster with high-end NBA draft prospects, veteran players who have experienced the battles in the Big 12, and intriguing transfers, it’s time to see what the on-court product will look like in games.
Game number one is against the Central Arkansas Bears from the Atlantic Sun Conference.
BYU vs. Central Arkansas: How To Watch, Listen
Date: Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Location: Marriott Center
Tip-Off: 7 p.m. (MST)
TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: 97.5 FM The KSL Sports Zone
What you need to know about BYU Basketball
BYU brings back a handful of key players from last year’s squad, which earned a six-seed in the NCAA Tournament a season ago. The notable returners are Honorable Mention All-Big 12 guard Dallin Hall and guard Richie Saunders.
BYU also brings Honorable Mention forward Fousseyni Traore.
The Cougars added heralded freshmen Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings while landing explosive center Keba Keita out of the Transfer Portal from Utah.
In BYU’s exhibition win over Colorado Christian, the Cougars knocked down 18 three-pointers and dished out 24 assists on 31 field goal makes.
Coach Kevin Young held out Hall and Traore during that exhibition victory for “precautionary” reasons.
Their availability will be an area to monitor when entering the season opener.
Catchings was the leading scorer in BYU’s exhibition win, scoring 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. An area of focus for Catchings continues to be on the defensive end.
Despite being a game against a sub-300 KenPom team, BYU fans are ready to cheer on a Kevin Young-led BYU program. As of Monday night, the only remaining tickets were on the east side of the Marriott Center behind the hoop in the upper deck. The cheapest tickets are priced at $35 through BYU’s ticket office.
Getting to know the Central Arkansas Bears
Central Arkansas was picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams in the ASUN Coaches Poll.
Like BYU, the Bears are tipping off a new coaching era for their program on Tuesday night. Their new coach is former Alabama-Huntsville and Chattanooga coach John Shulman.
The Bears’ 2024-25 roster includes 12 new players, including three newcomers in their potential opening night starting lineup.
Central Arkansas is in their 19th season as a Division I program. In only five of those previous 18 seasons, the Bears finished with a ranking higher than 300 in the KenPom metrics.
BYU/Central Arkansas Projections
- KenPom: BYU 89, Central Arkansas 61 (99% chance of BYU win)
- ESPN BPI: 99% win probability
- Bart Torvik: BYU 91, Central Arkansas 61 (99% chance of BYU win)
- Haslam Metrics: BYU 90, Central Arkansas 63
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.
