BYU Basketball Changes Starting Lineup For Oklahoma State Game
Jan 14, 2025, 6:53 PM
BYU basketball jumps into the starting lineup for the Cougars game against Oklahoma State. (Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
(Isaac Hale, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball is changing the starting lineup for the second consecutive game.
Head coach Kevin Young said in his pregame radio conversation before the Oklahoma State game on Tuesday, January 14, that he would have Rutgers transfer Mawot Mag in the starting five, replacing Kanon Catchings.
Mawot Mag moves into the BYU basketball starting lineup
Kevin Young said in his pregame radio chat on the BYU Sports Network that he's making another change to his starting lineup for tonight's game against Oklahoma State.
Mawot Mag will start in replace of Kanon Catchings.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 15, 2025
The rest of the starting lineup will be the same as what they used in the loss against TCU last Saturday with Egor Demin, Trevin Knell, Richie Saunders, and Keba Keita.
Mag will be starting his second game of the season. He earned a start last month in the non-conference finale against Florida A&M, replacing Richie Saunders, who was injured for that game.
Kanon Catchings will be in the second unit for the first time this season
Before Tuesday, Kanon Catchings had started every game this season.
It will be the sixth different starting five for BYU this season.
During his media availability earlier in the week, Young noted that one of the lineups he liked in the loss against TCU was a veteran-laden group.
BYU is currently on a three-game losing streak that needs victories in a hurry if they want to get back into the NCAA Tournament bracket forecasts.
The Cougars are 10-5 overall this season and 1-3 in Big 12 play.
Mawot Mag has appeared in 13 games this season. When he transferred in from Rutgers, he was a player that Kevin Young and his coaching staff identified in the transfer portal as a player who could make a significant impact on the defensive end of the floor.
BYU basketball hosts Oklahoma State tonight at the Marriott Center on ESPN+ and KSL NewsRadio.
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.
