A few the nation’s main scorers will sq. off when BYU and Kansas State meet in the first spherical of the Big 12 event on Tuesday evening in Kansas City, Mo.
The Cougars (21-10), the tenth seed in the event, boast AJ Dybantsa, who leads the nation with 24.7 factors per recreation. The Wildcats (12-19) lean on PJ Haggerty, who is tied for third in the nation with 23.3 factors per recreation.
BYU is prepping for a March Madness run behind Dybantsa, projected as one of many prime picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. He has hit the 20-point mark in every of the final 10 video games, together with 21 factors in BYU’s 82-76 victory over then-No. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday.
The victory ended a three-game skid and served as a reminder that BYU can play with anybody in the nation, despite the fact that it suffered a big setback final month when Richie Saunders was misplaced with a season-ending ACL harm.
Asked in regards to the assertion win afterward, BYU coach Kevin Young stated: “We had to do some soul-searching. I had to do a lot of thinking. What the conclusion of that was, we’ve got to simplify things and just dumb it down and not try to get cute on defense.”
Along with Dybantsa, Robert Wright III is a constant risk. He led the Cougars with 27 factors in the win over Texas Tech. As a crew, BYU has the second-highest scoring offense in the league, averaging 84.3 factors per recreation.
For the Fifteenth-seeded Wildcats, Haggerty is their most suitable choice on offense. He had 21 factors — as did Nate Johnson — in a 104-85 loss at then-No. 14 Kansas on Saturday. However, this is a crew that has misplaced 4 of its final 5 video games and 10 of 12.
The program is in the midst of an overhaul after the midseason firing of coach Jerome Tang. Still, interim coach Matthew Driscoll praised the workers and gamers for riding it out. The squad went 3-15 in Big 12 play.
“These guys are playing for contracts,” Driscoll stated. “They’re playing for contracts either next season in the NCAA, or they’re playing for contracts professionally. Our staff is trying to get a job. There are so many different things that marketability is focused on. What you do is always going to be there, because the video doesn’t lie.”
When these groups met in the common season on Jan. 3 in Manhattan, Kan., BYU gained 83-73.
The winner of the competition faces No. 7 seed West Virginia on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
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