LAHAINA, Hawaii-Monday evening, BYU men’s basketball (3-2) commences its slate at the Maui Invitational by facing resurgent UCLA (4-1) at the Lahaina Civic Center for this annual pre-Thanksgiving tournament.
The Cougars are coming off of a 72-68 overtime loss November 20 at Boise State and seek to rebound against one of the most storied programs in men’s college basketball.
Under new head coach Mark Pope (3-2, .600 at BYU, 80-58, .580 as a collegiate head coach), has the Cougars averaging 71 points per game. This ranks them 213th nationally in scoring offense, tying them with Wofford.
Senior guard Jake Toolson (16 points, 4.4 rebounds per game) is the Cougars’ statistical standout in the absence of star senior forward Yoeli Childs.
Should the Cougars play three games at this tournament, Childs would be eligible to play in the following game, November 30 against Montana Tech at the Marriott Center. Childs is currently serving an NCAA-mandated 9-game suspension to commence the season.
Senior guard TJ Haws (12 points, 3 rebounds per game, a team-best 18 assists) and junior guard Alex Barcello (11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds per game, a team-best 9 steals and 2 blocked shots) also score in double figures for the Cougars in Childs’ absence.
BYU surrenders 68 points per game, tying them for 164th nationally with Georgia Tech, Tulane and Tennessee State.
Senior forward Dalton Nixon has contributed as the Cougars’ leader in rebounds (5 per game).
Under new head coach Mick Cronin (4-1, .800 at UCLA, 369-172, .682 as a collegiate men’s basketball head coach), the Bruins, per Cronin’s comments to Pac-12 Network analyst Casey Jacobsen, spell beautiful basketball “W-I-N.”
The Bruins’ deliberate pace, a trademark of Cronin’s teams at Murray State and Cincinnati, score a respectable 74.2 points per game. This ties UCLA for 149th nationally with Butler, Saint Louis and The Citadel.
Redshirt sophomore forward/center Jalen Hill (15.2 points, 9 rebounds per game [each team bests as well as a team-best 8 blocks]) is the Bruins’ overall statistical leader.
Junior guard Chris Smith (14.8 points, 5.6 rebounds per game), redshirt senior guard Prince Ali (11 points per game, a team-best 12 steals) and redshirt sophomore forward Cody Riley (10.2 points per game) all average double figures for the Bruins.
Redshirt freshman guard Tyger Campbell (a team-best 25 assists) has also shown his worth for the Bruins.
Despite giving up 88 points to Hofstra November 21 in an 88-78 loss, the Bruins’ defense has been solid overall. UCLA currently surrenders 65.8 points per game. This ties the Bruins for 132nd nationally with Old Dominion, Rhode Island and Villanova.
The Bruins lead the Cougars 12-11 all-time with UCLA leading the all-time series 7-4 at neutral sites.
