BYU Hosts No. 20 Arizona For First Time As Big 12 Foes
Feb 3, 2025, 10:59 PM | Updated: 11:00 pm
BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young likes what he sees from his team entering the matchup against Big 12 newcomer Arizona. (Nate Edwards/BYU Photo)
(Nate Edwards/BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball will face a ranked opponent inside the Marriott Center for the first time this season.
The Cougars welcome No. 20 Arizona to Provo for a late-night “Super Tuesday” matchup at 9 p.m. (MST) on ESPN and KSL NewsRadio.
BYU/Arizona: Big 12 After Dark
Both teams are some of the hottest teams in the Big 12 at the moment.
BYU has won four in a row, while Arizona is also on a four-game win streak and tied for first place in the Big 12 standings at 9-1.
It’s BYU’s first game against a Top 25 foe since January 4, when they were hammered 86-55 on the road against Houston. BYU is 0-2 in games against Top 25 teams this season, with the other setback coming against Ole Miss on a neutral floor in San Diego on Thanksgiving.
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BYU has a chance to earn another Quad 1 victory
BYU has won two consecutive games against Quad 1 opponents. Those wins over Baylor and on the road at UCF have put BYU into Bracketology projections. Entering last week, BYU was entirely off of bracket forecasts.
Tuesday night poses another opportunity for BYU to climb the seed lines.
If BYU continues to shoot the ball as well as they have during this current win streak, that will help their chances against the ranked Wildcats.
BYU made 14 3-pointers in the win at UCF. In their last home game against Baylor, they shot 38% from beyond the arc; against Cincinnati, they shot 62.5% from three.
Richie Saunders is “having a heck of a year”
BYU’s top player night after night in Big 12 play has been junior wing Richie Saunders. During Big 12 action, Saunders is third in the league in scoring at 18.4 points per game. He’s number one in 3-point field goal percentage (49.2%) and first in 3-point field goals made per game (3.0).
The Riverton native is having a career year. Along with his contributions on offense, Saunders hasn’t let up on the defensive end.
“Super Tuesday” is going to be a lot of fun. pic.twitter.com/EGdUFAjhUM
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 4, 2025
Saunders has recorded two steals in each of the last two games and grabbed 4.5 rebounds in last week’s Quad 1 victories over Baylor and UCF.
“Offensively, I think Richie is obviously having a heck of a year,” said BYU coach Kevin Young. “Our style of play combined with his strengths has really been a great pairing there. It’s just been a great fit.”
Mawot Mag is providing valuable contributions to BYU basketball
Former Rutgers transfer Mawot Mag was always known as a defensive force, but his offensive contributions have been a pleasant surprise.
In the win at UCF, Mag had 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. He also grabbed three rebounds and dished out five assists.
“I think he’s really buying into how we’re playing,” Young said on Mag’s contributions offensively. “I think he stripped away a lot of some of the inefficient shots he was taking early on, and he’s really streamlined things. In terms of attacking the rim, I know he had 19 points last game, but having five assists, I thought, was big, too. His ability to put it on the deck, get to the paint, play off two feet and kick it out for shots, was a really good sight for me.”
Mag continues to pull down the assignment of defending the opposing team’s top offensive threat. Look for Mag to have opportunities to try and contain Arizona star Caleb Love on Tuesday night.
Getting to know the Arizona Wildcats
At one point in Arizona’s nonconference schedule, the Wildcats were 4-5 after losing to former PAC-12 rival UCLA on December 14. Since that setback, Arizona won 11 of 12, with the lone setback coming on the road at Texas Tech in Lubbock, and has looked like the preseason Top 10 they were to begin the year.
Former North Carolina transfer Caleb Love has been rolling lately, earning Big 12 Player of the Week honors. The 6-foot-4 guard has scored at least 22 points in three games during Arizona’s four-game winning streak.
Next stop: Provo, UT 🏔️ pic.twitter.com/u0eReXm5XN
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) February 3, 2025
His 60-foot buzzer-beater against Iowa State to send the game into overtime was an instant classic, which he then took over in overtime to guide the Wildcats to a big win over the Cyclones.
Arizona is coming off a rivalry win over Arizona State last Saturday, in which it outrebounded the Sun Devils 52-38. During Big 12 play, Arizona is second in the league in average rebounds, at 37.7 per game. For comparison, BYU is ninth in league play, averaging 34.7.
Former Tennessee center Tobe Awaka is Arizona’s leading rebounder at 7.8 boards per game. The Wildcats also have 7-foot sophomore Henri Veesaar from Estonia off the bench. Veesaar had five offensive rebounds in the win over Arizona State.
RELATED: Looking back at BYU basketball’s history against the Arizona Wildcats
Former Campbell transfer Anthony Dell’Orso is knocking down 43.8% of his three-point shots this season. However, he’s 0-for-7 in the past two games from beyond the arc.
Arizona’s head coach, Tommy Lloyd, is in his fourth year with the Wildcats. Lloyd is no stranger to the BYU program. He was Mark Few’s 20-year assistant on the Gonzaga Bulldogs coaching staff. During Lloyd’s final 10 seasons in Spokane, BYU was a member of the West Coast Conference and faced Gonzaga twice per season.
BYU vs. No. 20 Arizona
Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Tip-Off: 9 p.m. (MST)
TV/Stream: ESPN
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM)
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.
