With eyes on top-15 showdown Saturday, BYU focused on upstart TCU

PROVO — BYU's schedule doesn't let up after a closer-than-some-expected 89-84 win over rival Utah on Saturday, but that isn't just for Saturday's top-15 showdown at No. 15 Texas Tech.

There's plenty to occupy head coach Kevin Young's mind as the Cougars look to protect their 12-game winning streak at home, too.

"I didn't even know we were playing Texas Tech," he said less than 48 hours after the rivalry win on the hill in Salt Lake City. "Seriously, I just get very locked in on what's in front of us."

That's largely because before No. 11 BYU (15-1, 3-0 Big 12) can get on a plane to fly to Lubbock, Texas, the Cougars have to deal with a Wednesday night home tilt against TCU (9 p.m. MST, ESPN2).

There's plenty of attention to keep, too. Before the Horned Frogs (11-5, 1-2 Big 12) began their current two-game slide with a 104-100 overtime loss at Kansas and an 86-73 setback to top-ranked Arizona, Jamie Dixon's group was one of the more talked-about teams around.

Led by two-year starter David Punch (14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds per game) and a smothering defense that hasn't allowed more than 87 points to date, the Frogs accumulated nonconference wins over No. 19 Florida and Wisconsin, and pushed formerly top-ranked Michigan to the death before a 67-63 loss.

"I've watched a lot of their games," Young said. "Coach Dixon is an experienced coach.

"I think Iowa State and Houston get a lot of credit in our league for being tough-minded teams defensively, and I think they (TCU) have a lot of the same characteristics," he added. "That's why they're in a lot of the ball games that they're in. Our guys have to be ready for that."

While BYU is led by its "Big 3" of AJ Dybantsa, Robert Wright III and Richie Saunders, the Horned Frogs are led by their defense.

TCU currently ranks No. 26 nationally in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency, and 27th in defensive turnover percentage with a plus-3.3 turnover margin. The Frogs are also seventh in defensive blocked shot percentage with 5.8 blocks per game, and 42nd in defensive rebounding percentage with a plus-4.5 margin on the glass.

They're also a motivated team, not only to stop the current skid against two of the top teams in the conference, but also in the return of former BYU and Utah Valley guard Tanner Toolson to the Marriott Center.

"The Big 12 is a conference of opportunities," Toolson said after the loss. "We've got a quick turnaround; we've got a big week next week, and we're going to go into Utah and get two. That's our mindset, so we've got to prepare every single day in practice and do everything we can to get ready for it."

The junior from Vancouver, Washington spent part of his youth in Utah County, and the son of former BYU great Andy Toolson originally signed with the Cougars out of Union High School in the Pacific Northwest.

After averaging 3.5 points in six games of his freshman season, the younger Toolson transferred to Utah Valley, where he averaged 13.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists on 45.3% shooting as a sophomore en route to All-WAC second-team honors.

After winning an outright conference titles in 2024-25, Toolson hit the transfer portal and moved to Fort Worth, where he's averaging 7.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, including a team-high 20 on 6-of-8 shooting with three 3-pointers in the 13-point loss to the undefeated Wildcats.

Young didn't recruit Toolson to BYU in his 1.5 seasons with the program. But he said he is familiar with him as well as Adam Stewart, the TCU center and former RSL Academy standout whose parents are Young's neighbors.

"He's a tough young man, he plays really gritty," Young added of Toolson. "I know (Toolson's cousin) Ryan Toolson really well — however they are all related — and that whole family. I've talked to Tanner since being here; he's a great young man from a great family. He's been a part of some of the big wins that they've had. It'll be fun to compete against him, and I wish him the best."

Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. MST in the Marriott Center.

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