BYU Basketball Makes Starting Lineup Change For San Francisco Game
Feb 3, 2022, 7:29 PM
Brigham Young Cougars forward Gideon George (5) looks around after grabbing a rebound as BYU and Texas Southern play an NCAA basketball game at the Marriott Center in Provo on Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU vs San Francisco is a marquee game in the West Coast Conference this season. Both squads are looking to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resumes with a critical victory.
#BYU is going with a starting lineup change tonight. Gideon George replaces Caleb Lohner.
It’s the first time since December 25 that #BYU has made a change to their starting five.#BYUHoops @kslsports
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 4, 2022
BYU comes into the game on a two-game losing streak after dropping a pair of games to Santa Clara and Pacific on the road. That was the first time in the Mark Pope era that the Cougars have dropped two consecutive games in the regular season. It also marked the first time BYU dropped a game against a Quadrant 4 (NET rankings) team.
With BYU going through some negative firsts under Mark Pope, Pope is changing things up. Pope’s starting lineup is switching for the first time since December 25.
The news was first reported by BYU Sports Network Play-by-Play voice Greg Wrubell, who had a pregame chat with the third-year head coach. Pope told Wrubell the starting lineup change gives BYU “more mobility.”
Coach Pope in our pregame interview, on starting Gideon George in place of Caleb Lohner: “It gives us a little bit more mobility, and we can purchase a little more space on the floor…we’ll see how it works.”
— Greg Wrubell (@gregwrubell) February 4, 2022
Preseason All-WCC selection Caleb Lohner will now come off the bench and Gideon George moves into the starting five.
George has started in six games this season. He was in the starting five when BYU opened the season 6-0.
Before Thursday night, Lohner started in all of BYU’s previous 23 games this season. On the year, Lohner is averaging 6.7 points and 6.0 rebounds. George is averaging 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds this season.
BYU/San Francisco tips off at 8 p.m. (MT) on CBS Sports Network and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM).
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
