2024–25 BYU Cougars men's basketball team

2024–25 BYU Cougars men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 15
APNo. 13
Record26–10 (14–6 Big 12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMarriott Center
2024–25 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 Houston 19 1   .950 35 5   .875
No. 8 Texas Tech 15 5   .750 28 9   .757
No. 15 Arizona 14 6   .700 24 13   .649
No. 13 14 6   .700 26 10   .722
No. 17 Iowa State 13 7   .650 25 10   .714
Kansas 11 9   .550 21 13   .618
Baylor 10 10   .500 20 15   .571
West Virginia 10 10   .500 19 13   .594
TCU 9 11   .450 16 16   .500
Kansas State 9 11   .450 16 17   .485
Utah 8 12   .400 16 17   .485
Oklahoma State 7 13   .350 17 18   .486
Cincinnati 7 13   .350 19 16   .543
UCF 7 13   .350 20 17   .541
Arizona State 4 16   .200 13 20   .394
Colorado 3 17   .150 14 21   .400
2025 Big 12 tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2024–25 BYU Cougars men's basketball team represented Brigham Young University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by first-year head coach Kevin Young and played their home games at Marriott Center in Provo, Utah as second-year members of the Big 12 Conference.

Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2023–24 season 23–11, 10–8 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the No. 5 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they defeated UCF in the second round before losing to Texas Tech. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the East region. The Cougars lost in the first round to Duquesne.

On April 12, 2024, head coach Mark Pope left the school to take the head coaching position at Kentucky.[1]

The season marked the first for BYU as members of the Big 12, having left the West Coast conference to join the Big 12 on July 1, 2023.[2]

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Noah Waterman 0 F 6'11" 215 Junior Savannah, NY Transferred to Louisville
Jaxson Robinson 2 F 6'7" 200 Junior Ada, OK Transferred to Kentucky
Atiki Ally Atiki 4 F 6'10" 213 Junior Mwanza, Tanzania Transferred to New Mexico
Tredyn Christensen 10 F 6'7" 235 Senior Eagle Mountain, UT Walk-on; graduated
Spencer Johnson 20 G 6'5" 185 Senior American Fork, UT Graduated
Marcus Adams Jr. 23 F 6'8" 200 Freshman Harbor City, UT Transferred to Cal State Northridge
Tanner Hayhurst 24 G 6'6" 204 Freshman Eagle, ID Walk-on; transferred College of Southern Idaho
Aly Khalifa 50 F/C 6'11" 230 Junior Alexandria, Egypt Transferred to Louisville

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Keba Keita 13 C 6'8" 235 Junior Bamako, Mali Utah
Mawot Mag 0 F 6'7" 216 RS Senior Melbourne, Australia Rutgers
Max Triplett 20 F/C 6'9" 210 Junior Huntsville, UT Snow College

Recruiting classes

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Egor Demin
SG
Russia Real Madrid 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) May 28, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Kanon Catchings
#9 SF
Brownsburg, IN Overtime Elite 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jun 18, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (88)
Brody Kozlowski
#17 PF
Draper, UT Corner Canyon High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Apr 22, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (82)
Elijah Crawford
#18 PG
Augusta, GA Brewster Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) May 21, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (82)
Brooks Bahr
PF
Keller, TX Keller High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Nov 6, 2023 
Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (79)
Mihailo Boskovic
PF
Uzice, Serbia Igokea m:tel 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) N/A Sep 4, 2024 
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:   Scout: nr    Rivals: nr    ESPN: nr
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  • "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved July 20, 2024.

Roster

2024–25 BYU Cougars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Mawot Mag 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 216 lb (98 kg) GS Rutgers Melbourne, Australia
G 1 Trey Stewart 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Sr American Fork American Fork, UT
G 2 Elijah Crawford 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Fr Brewster Academy Augusta, GA
G 3 Egor Demin 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Real Madrid Moscow, Russia
F 4 Brody Kozlowski 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Corner Canyon Draper, UT
F 5 Mihailo Boskovic 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Igokea m:tel Užice, Serbia
F 6 Kanon Catchings 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Overtime Elite Brownsburg, IN
F 7 Khadim Mboup 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
NBA Academy Africa Dakar, Senegal
F 12 Townsend Tripple (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS So Rocky Mountain Meridian, ID
C 13 Keba Keita 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Utah Bamako, Mali
G 15 Richie Saunders 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Wasatch Academy Riverton, UT
F/C 20 Max Triplett (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Snow College Huntsville, UT
G 21 Trevin Knell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) RS Sr Woods Cross Woods Cross, UT
G 25 Dawson Baker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr UC Irvine Coto de Caza, CA
G 30 Dallin Hall 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Fremont Plain City, UT
F 45 Fousseyni Traore 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 254 lb (115 kg) Sr Wasatch Academy Bamako, Mali
G 51 Jared McGregor (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Westlake Saratoga Springs, UT
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 30, 2024*
7:00 p.m.
Colorado Christian W 93–49 
 19  Catchings   7  Keita   11  Demin  Marriott Center (16,323)
Provo, UT
Non-conference regular season
November 5, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Central Arkansas W 88–50  1–0
 18  Demin   10  Keita   11  Demin  Marriott Center (16,941)
Provo, UT
November 8, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
UC Riverside W 86–80  2–0
 20  Demin   10  Keita   7  Demin  Marriott Center (17,391)
Provo, UT
November 13, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Queens (NC) W 99–55  3–0
 22  Baker   13  Keita   5  Demin  Marriott Center (16,789)
Provo, UT
November 16, 2024*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+
Idaho W 95–71  4–0
 29  Traore   9  Traore   7  Demin  Marriott Center (16,456)
Provo, UT
November 23, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Mississippi Valley State W 87–43  5–0
 15  Traore   11  Traore   6  Demin  Marriott Center (16,954)
Provo, UT
November 28, 2024*
3:30 p.m., FS1
vs. No. 23 Ole Miss
Rady Children's Invitational semifinals
L 85–96 OT 5–1
 17  Catchings   7  Keita   4  Tied  LionTree Arena (4,000)
San Diego, CA
November 29, 2024*
1:30 p.m., FOX
vs. NC State
Rady Children's Invitational 3rd place game
W 72–61  6–1
 13  Saunders   11  Demin   4  Demin  LionTree Arena (4,000)
San Diego, CA
December 3, 2024*
6:30 p.m., FS1
at Providence
Big East–Big 12 Battle
L 64–83  6–2
 16  Baker   10  Keita   4  Hall  Amica Mutual Pavilion (12,005)
Providence, RI
December 11, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Fresno State W 95–67  7–2
 22  Knell   10  Tied   4  Hall  Marriott Center (15,950)
Provo, UT
December 14, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
vs. Wyoming W 68–49  8–2
 15  Knell   6  Keita   6  Hall  Delta Center (11,217)
Salt Lake City, UT
December 20, 2024*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Florida A&M W 103–57  9–2
 21  Catchings   9  Keita   7  Hall  Marriott Center (15,544)
Provo, UT
Big 12 regular season
December 31, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN2
Arizona State W 76–56  10–2
(1–0)
 30  Saunders   10  Keita   7  Demin  Marriott Center (16,926)
Provo, UT
January 4, 2025
12:00 p.m., ESPN+
at No. 14 Houston L 55–86  10–3
(1–1)
 12  Knell   6  Traore   7  Demin  Fertitta Center (7,035)
Houston, TX
January 7, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Texas Tech L 67–72  10–4
(1–2)
 14  Traore   10  Keita   6  Demin  Marriott Center (17,307)
Provo, UT
January 11, 2025
12:00 p.m., ESPN2
at TCU L 67–71  10–5
(1–3)
 26  Saunders   7  Tied   6  Hall  Schollmaier Arena (4,752)
Fort Worth, TX
January 14, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Oklahoma State W 85–69  11–5
(2–3)
 18  Knell   8  Keita   8  Demin  Marriott Center (16,457)
Provo, UT
January 18, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
at Utah
Rivalry
L 72–73 OT 11–6
(2–4)
 16  Saunders   9  Keita   4  Saunders  Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,558)
Salt Lake City, UT
January 21, 2025
9:00 p.m., ESPNU
at Colorado W 83–67  12–6
(3–4)
 25  Saunders   8  Keita   7  Demin  CU Events Center (6,166)
Boulder, CO
January 25, 2025
8:30 p.m., ESPN2
Cincinnati W 80–52  13–6
(4–4)
 21  Saunders   7  Keita   7  Demin  Marriott Center (17,483)
Provo, UT
January 28, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
Baylor W 93–89 OT 14–6
(5–4)
 23  Catchings   6  Saunders   6  Demin  Marriott Center (17,297)
Provo, UT
February 1, 2025
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
at UCF W 81–75  15–6
(6–4)
 22  Saunders   7  Keita   6  Demin  Addition Financial Arena (9,152)
Orlando, FL
February 4, 2025
9:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 20 Arizona L 74–85  15–7
(6–5)
 16  Demin   7  Traore   6  Hall  Marriott Center (17,274)
Provo, UT
February 8, 2025
4:00 p.m., ESPN2
at Cincinnati L 66–84  15–8
(6–6)
 15  Saunders   3  Tied   3  Hall  Fifth Third Arena (12,217)
Cincinnati, OH
February 11, 2025
5:00 p.m., CBSSN
at West Virginia W 73–69  16–8
(7–6)
 16  Demin   6  Traore   4  Hall  WVU Coliseum (10,879)
Morgantown, WV
February 15, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Kansas State W 80–65  17–8
(8–6)
 17  Saunders   14  Saunders   8  Demin  Marriott Center (17,228)
Provo, UT
February 18, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 23 Kansas W 91–57  18–8
(9–6)
 22  Saunders   9  Keita   8  Hall  Marriott Center (17,978)
Provo, UT
February 22, 2025
8:00 p.m., ESPN
at No. 19 Arizona W 96–95  19–8
(10–6)
 23  Saunders   6  Keita   8  Demin  McKale Center (14,688)
Tucson, AZ
February 26, 2025
7:30 p.m., ESPN+
No. 25 at Arizona State W 91–81  20–8
(11–6)
 26  Saunders   7  Keita   10  Demin  Desert Financial Arena (9,383)
Tempe, AZ
March 1, 2025
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 25 West Virginia W 77–56  21–8
(12–6)
 20  Traore   10  Traore   6  Hall  Marriott Center (17,978)
Provo, UT
March 4, 2025
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 23 at No. 10 Iowa State W 88–85 2OT 22–8
(13–6)
 23  Saunders   15  Keita   3  Tied  Hilton Coliseum (14,267)
Ames, IA
March 8, 2025
8:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 23 Utah
Rivalry
W 85–74  23–8
(14–6)
 15  Baker   7  Tied   6  Demin  Marriott Center (17,978)
Provo, UT
Big 12 tournament
March 13, 2025
10:30 a.m., ESPN2
(4) No. 17 vs. (5) No. 12 Iowa State
Quarterfinals
W 96−92  24–8
 23  Saunders   10  Keita   7  Hall  T-Mobile Center (15,366)
Kansas City, MO
March 14, 2025
5:00 p.m., ESPN2
(4) No. 17 vs. (1) No. 2 Houston
Semifinals
L 54–74  24–9
 14  Keita   12  Keita   4  Tied  T-Mobile Center (13,946)
Kansas City, MO
NCAA tournament
March 20, 2025
2:05 p.m., TNT
(6 E) No. 17 vs. (11 E) VCU
First Round
W 80–71  25–9
 16  Saunders   9  Tied   4  Hall  Ball Arena (19,921)
Denver, CO
March 22, 2025
5:45 p.m., CBS
(6 E) No. 17 vs. (3 E) No. 13 Wisconsin
Second Round
W 91–89  26–9
 25  Saunders   8  Demin   8  Demin  Ball Arena (19,386)
Denver, CO
March 27, 2025
5:09 p.m., CBS
(6 E) No. 17 vs. (2 E) No. 7 Alabama
Sweet Sixteen
L 88–113  26–10
 25  Saunders   6  Tied   7  Demin  Prudential Center (18,617)
Newark, NJ
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
E=East.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Source[3]

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRVRVRVRV2523171713
CoachesRVRVRVRVRVRVRV22181715

Awards

Two BYU players received All-Big 12 awards for the season. Richie Saunders was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and recognized as the conference's Most Improved Player, and Egor Demin received honorable mention All-Big 12 honors and was named to the conference's All-Freshman team.[4]

References

  1. ^ "Kentucky hires Mark Pope: BYU coach, player on Wildcats' 1995-96 national title team succeeds John Calipari". CBSSports.com. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "BYU officially joins Big 12 Conference". ABC4 Utah. July 1, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "2024–25 Men's Basketball Schedule". byucougars.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Dallas, Kelsey. "The All-Big 12 basketball awards have been unveiled. Here's how BYU and Utah players did". Deseret News. Retrieved March 11, 2025.