After 9-2 start, BYU men's basketball as ready as it'll ever be for Big 12

PROVO — It was earlier Friday morning when Tamika Catchings posted a video of her unboxing a No. 6 BYU basketball jersey online, which BYU fans liked and reposted over 1,000 times as the 10-time WNBA All-Star "repped the Y" to salute her nephew Kanon Catchings.

Was it just a coincidence that less than 12 hours later, that same nephew went off for a career-high 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in the Cougars' 103-57 win to close out nonconference play?

"It's just a coincidence, that's it," a grinning Catchings said after the game. "But it's good to have family supporting you. I'm going to go back home tomorrow to see them, but the constant support from them means a lot."

Coincidence or not (yes, it is), Catchings' career-high 21 in a blowout win over Florida A&M has the Cougars trending up as Big 12 play begins New Year's Eve against Arizona State. It's not beating the Rattlers (3-7) that boosted optimism, but the way BYU won a third consecutive game that left an extra layer of Christmas cheer in the locker room at the Marriott Center.

The Cougars assisted on 25-of-34 made field goals, tied a season high with 15 made 3-pointers, and outrebounded the visiting SWAC foe 45-25 including a 35-3 margin on the defensive glass. Four players scored in double figures, including Dallin Hall, who had 14 points and seven assists with no turnovers — just the second time this season he's been without a giveaway.

And all this without five-star freshman Egor Demin (knee) and spark plug Richie Saunders (concussion, lip laceration), who are both hoped to return the time conference play rolls around a week from Tuesday.

"I think everyone has had a good moment, like all the way down the line," said first-year coach Kevin Young after answering questions about Mawot Mag, Brody Kozlowski and newly signed Khadim Mboup, in addition to Catchings and Hall. "I think the challenge for me is when we have a full slate of guys, just making sure I am subbing it the right way and making sure we have the right groups of players out there, who plays well with who and how that all coexists."

That doesn't mean it's been a perfect start to the season. Not by a long shot — by record or otherwise. The Cougars dropped a 96-85 overtime game to then-No. 23 Ole Miss in their first major test of the season over Thanksgiving weekend.

Less than a week later, an even worse loss — call it a rout, and even that may be putting it mild — when Jabri Abdur-Rahim erupted for 21 points, Bryce Hopkins scored 16, and Providence held the Cougars to 33.33% from the field and just 7-of-25 from 3-point range in a rude welcoming to the Big 12-Big East Challenge.

Young always knew there were going to be growing pains in his first year as a collegiate head coach since rising to become the highest-paid assistant in the NBA. Some of those would come on the court, but more of them would probably come on the bench, he admits.

"I think I probably learned more than the players," he said. "I am extremely critical of what we do and I always ask myself if we are on the right path, which is something I always asked myself in the NBA. We do a lot of analytical check-ins to make sure we are on the right path, and I think playing some of the teams we had in that stretch, with Providence, Ole Miss and NC State, I learned a lot there and was able to take some of those lessons and put them into play against Fresno, Wyoming and tonight as well.

"I learned a ton and will continue to do so as the schedule gets harder."

Harder may be putting it mildly in the toughest basketball conference in the country, where BYU's 353rd toughest schedule in the country by KenPom is about to take a massive step forward against teams like No. 4 Houston, No. 5 Iowa State and No. 108Kansas — three of the seven Big 12 teams ranked in the top-25 by KenPom.

That's exciting for Catchings, the former No. 35 recruit by ESPN who followed former Overtime Elite coach Tim Fanning to BYU and is already being considered a first-round NBA draft pick by many. Catchings hasn't faced the Big 12 gauntlet yet, though he did face arguably the toughest youth basketball circuit in the country with OTE's Cold Hearts.

So what are his teammates telling him about the Big 12?

"The Big 12 is super physical; that's the first thing that jumps out to me," Hall said. "Every night is a dog fight, so there are no off nights. But every night you are living your dream. You get to play on the biggest stage against the best teams. So I think you put that all in one, and it's just fun basketball, fun hoops and we are excited for the challenge."

Enjoy the holiday season. The challenge starts on the other side.

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