Rivalry Loss To Utah Leaves BYU Needing Answers In Close Games
Jan 19, 2025, 12:12 AM | Updated: Jan 20, 2025, 2:50 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – BYU basketball suffered another road loss. This time, it was a setback against in-state rival Utah, 73-72 in overtime against the Utes.
The loss drops BYU to 2-4 in Big 12 Conference play, leaving them winless in games away from the Marriott Center.
BYU’s last three losses, including Saturday night against the Utes, came down to the wire.
Against Utah, BYU falls by one.
Last Saturday, in Ft. Worth, they lost by four to TCU.
Before that, it was a five-point loss to Texas Tech on their home floor.
BYU coach Kevin Young: “We’ve gotta learn how to win close games.” pic.twitter.com/QZI6aoBzT6
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 19, 2025
In the setback to the Utes, Dawson Baker missed a jumper in the paint that went out of bounds with 6.2 seconds left.
The officials reviewed the play extensively to determine whether the ball went out on BYU. They confirmed that it was a possession in favor of Utah.
First-year head coach Kevin Young knows finishing games is at the top of mind moving forward.
“We’ve got to learn how to win close games. We’re right there,” said BYU head coach Kevin Young.
BYU basketball needs to learn how to win close games
Young continued, “All of these games, we’ve got a chance to win. I just told our club in there, you win and lose games on the margins in close games. We’ve come up short too many times. That’s disappointing.”
In Saturday’s loss to Utah, BYU’s shooting percentages were below their averages.
They shot 38.5% from the field, 26.7% from three, and an eye-popping 40% from free throws, and what’s more concerning is that some of those misses from the foul line were on front ends.
Despite the underwhelming shooting percentages, Young sees some positives coming out of the setback to Utah.
“I thought tonight we had a lot of resolve. With our backs against the wall, we made a lot of necessary plays that we weren’t making in other games. I thought our offensive execution was actually really good down the stretch,” Young said. “So there’s growth moments there, but we’ve got to string together more things than we currently are.”
Who will be the “go-to” player in close games?
To help BYU’s cause late in games, they need to find a go-to player at the end of games.
Dawson Baker was responsible for the shot on Saturday. That was a solid look from a guy who can make those shots.
But is he the player they turn to every time in the clutch?
Utah made a concerted effort to contain BYU wing Richie Saunders, who has been playing at an All-Big 12 level this season.
Saunders had 10 points on six shots in the first half, but Utah zeroed in on him as he finished with 16 points on 16 shots in 40 minutes of action.
The junior wing will be near the top of the go-to guys, but that hasn’t materialized late in games as he adjusts to being atop the opposing team’s scouting reports.
Then you look to the backcourt of Egor Demin and Dallin Hall.
Demin had a final shot on a broken play, a last-second heave that went off the backboard.
The star freshman finished the game 4-of-12 from the field for nine points.
For BYU to be the team many envisioned they would be, an NCAA Tournament squad, Demin has to shine late in the clutch.
BYU does have a guy who has knocked down big shots late in games with junior Dallin Hall.
Hall finished 0-of-5 shooting against Utah and had two points and four assists in 33 minutes of action.
BYU’s schedule isn’t getting easier
BYU has to find those answers soon, regardless of who it becomes, as the schedule will only get more challenging.
BYU has a stretch in February during which it has a less than 50% chance of winning seven of eight games.
The Cougars are projected favorites in their next three against winless Colorado, at home against Cincinnati, and Baylor. But that’s easier said than done in a league like the Big 12, where there are no nights off.
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.
