BYU Basketball Takeaways From Big Win Against Kansas State
Feb 15, 2025, 9:51 PM | Updated: Feb 18, 2025, 12:36 pm
PROVO, Utah – The BYU basketball team got another big win in conference play by ending the Kansas State Wildcats’ six-game winning streak.
The Cougars led by as many as 22 points before defeating Kansas State 80-65.
Let’s get to some takeaways from a game that won’t go down as a quad-one win on the resume, but it was a big win against one of the hottest teams in the country that should carry some weight on selection Sunday.
Hot start for BYU basketball
Fresh off a big win in Morgantown, BYU carried that momentum into the first half against red-hot Kansas State. BYU led Kansas State by 18 at halftime and never looked back.
The Wildcats winning streak included wins against ranked opponents Iowa State, Kansas, and Arizona. They don’t have the best record in the Big 12, but their recent play suggested they were playing some of the best hoops in the league.
BYU made their first four baskets and quickly opened a double-digit lead.
Freshman Egor Demin was fantastic at running the offense. He kept the tempo fast and dished out five assists in the first half.
It's hard not to like the minutes Trey Stewart is providing when he gets called into action. Grabs an offensive rebound that leads to a Richie Saunders slam dunk.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 16, 2025
It wasn’t all great in the first half. There was another Cougar scoring drought that lasted nearly five minutes.
However, some credit is due to the BYU defense who held Kansas State to 27 percent shooting in the half and out-rebounded them by eight.
The final offense play in the half was a great drive and dish by Dallin Hall to Fousseyni Traore who threw down the two-handed slam.
Keba Keita dominates the paint
BYU is 16-2 when they out-rebound their opponent. Quite simply, if they win that category, odds are they win the game.
Starting center Keba Keita was a monster on the glass and a big reason BYU controlled the game in the paint. He ripped down 11 rebounds. BYU won the battle of the boards by 10.
BYU is a hard team to beat when Keba Keita is dominating the glass and protecting the rim like he is against the Wildcats.
— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) February 16, 2025
He was the defensive enforcer from the jump. The big man had an early block on Wildcat star player Coleman Hawkins that went into the stands.
BYU finished with seven team blocks, but five of them came from Keita. Several of his blocks were highlight-worthy.
Keita’s energy and tenacity set the tone for the team. They’ll need more performances like the one he had against Kansas State in the coming games against Kansas and a re-match against Arizona.
Great point guard play from Demin and Hall
Egor Demin has been playing some of his best basketball of the season during the past seven games.
He scored in double figures in five of the last seven games. Demin only scored five points against the Wildcats, but he was brilliant running the offense.
Eight assists and only two turnovers from Demin will put the Cougars in a position to beat most teams in the Big 12.
With four assists in the first half, Egor Demin now has 117 assist moving up to fourth on the freshman list.#BYUHoops #GoCougs
— BYU Game Notes (@BYUGameNotes) February 16, 2025
The other point guard, Dallin Hall, had one of his best performances of the season.
He was aggressive off the dribble. That aggression led to several dunks from his passing and multiple trips to the free-throw line. Hall scored a season-high 16 points and made 7 of 9 free throws.
There’s no doubt this team is better when Hall is playing as he did during his Big 12 honorable-mentioned season last year.
You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or on Cougar Nation Monday nights from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. You can also find him on Twitter @baiamontematt here.
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