Rivalry rings true as No. 9 BYU heads to Utah with 11-game winning streak

PROVO — For all of BYU coach Kevin Young's accomplishments in his first season at the helm that included a 26-10 record, top-four finish in the Big 12 and the program's first Sweet 16 appearance since 2011, there was something unsettling about his inaugural campaign in NCAA Division I college basketball that he'd like to correct.

Early in his tenure, the Cougars went to the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Jan. 18, 2025 — and walked away with a 73-72 overtime loss to rival Utah, their fourth in five games.

That loss sparked a four-game winning streak in Big 12 that helped BYU to a 14-6 league record in arguably the toughest men's basketball conference in the country.

But still ...

"I'm still ticked that we lost that one. I know Trevin Knell somewhere is mad that he missed those free throws," Young said after the ninth-ranked Cougars' 104-76 win over Arizona State to improve to 2-0 in Big 12 play. "Just want to go up there, and get a win; bottom line.

"I grew up in the church, but never really grew up a super huge BYU fans," he added. "I respected the program and what it stood for, but I didn't have the hate. Now that I've experienced it, you just want to go up there and beat those guys."

Saturday's rivalry contest (8 p.m. MST, ESPN) will be a bit more personal for Young, who was born in Salt Lake City but grew up in Marietta, Georgia, and played college hoops at Division II Clayton State. In 17 years in the NBA and its developmental circuit, Young also grew close with Alex Jensen — the former Viewmont High star and NBA journeyman now in his first season at Utah — and Utah general manager Wes Wilcox.

When Jensen took the job at his alma mater, Young was even one of the people he called to talk about making the jump from the NBA to college basketball.

"I've known those guys for a long time," Young said. "t will be fun to compete against those guys, and you tack on the rivalry component; it will mean a lot for guys like Richie Saunders, in his last time to try to get a win in their building. It will be fun."

Jensen, for his part, is very familiar with the rivalry that BYU leads 135-131 overall and Utah leads 119-118 all-time when the two teams are in the same conference. The former Mountain West player of the year in 2000 faced BYU 12 times as a player, going 10-2 against the Cougars including a perfect 5-0 mark at home.

"Utah-BYU is different than any other," he said. "A lot of new guys haven't experienced the rivalry. We have a few guys returning, but until you go through it, I don't think you understand it or get it.

"It's a great opportunity for them. To play a team as good as BYU and the players they have, that's why you play basketball: For opportunities like this."

The Runnin' Utes are 8-7 in Jensen's first season, including an 0-2 start to Big 12 play after a 97-78 loss to top-ranked Arizona and 85-73 setback at Colorado. Saturday's game will be the first of back-to-back games against AP Top 25 opponents, with a trip to No. 14 Texas Tech on deck next Wednesday (7 p.m. MST, Peacock).

"It'll give us a good barometer of where we're at, and where we need to get better," Jensen said. "Hopefully we don't take a step back; that's the message."

The Cougars are 14-1 and 2-0 in the Big 12, led by the nation's second-leading scorer in five-star freshman AJ Dybantsa (23.1 points per game) and Baylor transfer Robert Wright III (5.4 assists per game).

Oh, and also Richie Saunders, the senior guard from Riverton who will play his third and final game at the Huntsman Center where he has averaged 14.5 points per game on 44.0% from the field and 40.0% from 3-point range. It will also mark the return for senior post Keba Keita, who played his first two seasons at the U. before transferring to BYU with former assistant coach Chris Burgess.

"Playing there is tough," Saunders said after his career-high 31 points against the Sun Devils. "I'm excited to go and get a win for my senior. year there; they turn up the jets and everything is a lot more crazy than any other game. Those are the games you live for."

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