No. 23 Cougars may be without a key bench player against No. 10 Iowa State Tuesday
BYU coach Kevin Young said Kanon Catchings is ‘day to day’ after injuring his left knee vs. West Virginia
For most of the Big 12 basketball season, Iowa State has dealt with one injury after another, while BYU has been relatively healthy and at full strength.
But that could change Tuesday night (7 p.m. MST, ESPN2) when the No. 10 Cyclones host the No. 23 Cougars in one of the most important contests of the year, as far as seeding for the conference tournament is concerned.
In his weekly press briefing on Monday, BYU coach Kevin Young said that 6-foot-9 freshman Kanon Catchings could miss the showdown between teams tied for fourth place in the Big 12 standings after he sustained a left knee injury while contesting a dunk midway through the first half of BYU’s 77-56 win over West Virginia.
“It wasn’t as bad as it looked, which is great,” Young said. “He is kind of day to day, and that is how we are approaching it.”
Although BYU (21-8, 12-6) is as deep as any team in the league, Catchings’ absence could hurt because he is averaging 7.6 points and 2.3 rebounds a game and had big games in two of BYU’s most impressive wins. The Indiana native had 23 points in BYU’s overtime win over Baylor and 14 points in BYU’s 96-95 upset of No. 19 Arizona.
For the second-straight year, the BYU-Iowa State clash will feature two ranked teams — and have heavy implications for the postseason. The four top seeds earn two byes in the conference tournament and don’t have to play until the quarterfinals next Thursday in Kansas City.
Young said his team and coaching staff are aware of the big-picture importance of the matchup, noting that assistant coach Chris Burgess stays “pretty dialed in with that stuff” and passes it along, but reiterated that the Cougars generally do better when they take it day by day.
“Some teams are better when they just focus on what is right in front of them. That seems to be the case with this group. So that is kinda how we handle the players,” Young said. “As it relates to the staff, I am pretty singular focused. But I try to have an understanding of what is going on big picture as well.”
Regardless of what happens Tuesday night, or Saturday when BYU hosts Utah on Senior Night, BYU can do no worse than a No. 5 seed at T-Mobile Center. That’s an overachievement, considering BYU has a new coach, was picked to finish ninth in the league, and lost four of its first six conference games.
How has it come together so quickly for the Cougars?
“I think there is a lot that goes into that. If I had to narrow it down to a couple of things I just think belief, execution, togetherness,” Young said. “That’s where we have been able to move the needle.
“I think patience, as I’ve learned how to operate in this space (has also been important). … So all that stuff has been the recipe, I would say, to why we are where we are right now.”
This is the most significant and challenging game of the Kevin Young era, as Iowa State is 15-1 at 14,356-seat Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa, and enjoys one of the best home-court advantages in all of college basketball.
Last year, in front of 14,267, BYU jumped out to a 38-27 halftime lead but was outscored 41-25 in the second half and wilted to ISU’s pressure defense late to give away a game it probably should have won.
BYU finished with 17 turnovers in the 68-63 loss, including a late blunder by point guard Dallin Hall, while ISU had only six giveaways.
“That’s one of the best atmospheres I have played in,” Hall said Saturday after scoring eight points and notching six assists against West Virginia.
Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger also met with reporters Monday, and said the Cougars’ maturity and size in the back court, with 6-9 freshman Egor Demin running the point, along with Hall, sets them apart.
“Number one, Demin with the basketball … as a playmaker, facilitator, that’s a unique endeavor, for sure,” he said, then noted that reigning two-time Big 12 Player of the Week Richie Saunders and graduate Trevin Knell are two of the top 3-point shooters in the league.
“I think that’s one thing with them that you have to factor into the equation, is how well they shoot the basketball,” Otzelberger said. “They’ve got older guys. They’ve got experienced, veteran guys that know how to find ways to win. You don’t win six in a row in this league without having that type of experience.
“Saunders is playing at about as high a level as anybody is in the conference right now in terms of shooting the ball, making big plays for them late, just competing,” the coach continued.
Iowa State forces 15.2 turnovers per game, which ranks 17th nationally. The Cyclones use those turnovers to get out in transition and fuel their offense. They average 80.2 points per game, which is No. 42 in the country.
BYU averages 81.0 points, 32nd in the country.
“I think we have to go in there with the mindset that no matter what they do, we are going to be under control offensively,” Young said. “… Their defense is different than West Virginia’s. But at the same time, I am big on proof of concepts. We have proven that we can (score) against good defensive teams, particularly one whose M.O. is to turn you over.”
Young said turnovers were “a weakness of ours” earlier in the season, “but we are starting to use people’s aggression against them. I think that is the ultimate key to the game.”
