PROVO, Utah-Saturday, BYU basketball (9-4) hosts Weber State (4-6) as the two Beehive State squads meet at the Marriott Center for a non-conference tilt.
BYU head coach Mark Pope (9-4, .692 at BYU; 86-60, .589 as a collegiate head coach) led the Cougars to a 68-64 win over Utah State December 14 at the Beehive Classic, bolstering BYU’s NCAA Tournament hopes.
The Cougars score 76.8 points per game, ranking them 92nd nationally in scoring offense.
Senior forward Yoeli Childs (19 points, 11 rebounds per game) is the Cougars’ statistical leader on the season, leading the squad in both points and rebounds.
Senior guard Jake Toolson (14.5 points, 5.1 rebounds per game, a team-best 5 blocked shots), fellow senior guard TJ Haws (12.7 points, a team-best 57 assists) and junior guard Alex Barcello (10.5 points per game, tied for Haws for the team lead in steal with 12) also score in double figures on average for the Cougars.
BYU surrenders 67.1 points per game, ranking them 146th nationally in scoring defense.
The Wildcats are coached by Randy Rahe (270-159, .629) who is in his 14th season at the helm of the Wildcats’ program.
He is both the winningest coach in both Big Sky Conference and Weber State history.
After a slow start to the season, the Wildcats have won three of their last four contests as they try to prepare themselves for the Big Sky season.
Weber State scores 73 points per game, tying them for 163rd nationally in scoring offense with Florida Atlantic.
Senior guard Jerrick Harding (20 points per game, a team-best 21 assists), the Big Sky preseason player of the year, is continuing to hit his stride as the season progresses.
Former Wasatch Academy star, senior guard Cody John (11.9 points per game) is the only other Weber State player to score in double figures on average for the season.
Junior guard Kham Davis averages 4.7 rebounds a game and 8 steals to lead the Wildcats in these categories and redshirt freshman forward/center Tim Fuller has a team-best 11 blocked shots for Weber State.
The Wildcats surrender 66.5 points per game, tying them for 130th nationally in scoring defense with Tulane.
The Cougars lead the all-time series over the Wildcats 33-11 and 21-0 at home.
