SALT LAKE CITY-Wednesday, BYU (6-3) and Utah (5-2) resume their bitter rivalry on the hardwood as the Utes host the Cougars in a non-conference tilt at the Huntsman Center.

The Cougars will be blessed by the return of senior forward Yoeli Childs to the lineup as he has completed his NCAA-mandated 9-game suspension imposed upon him this past summer.

This represents the first time new BYU head coach Mark Pope (6-3, .667, at BYU, 83-59, .585 as a collegiate head coach) will have Childs’ services at his disposal.

In the meantime, the Cougars have made do with a litany of high achievers.

BYU scores 75.2 points per game currently, ranking the Cougars 121st nationally in scoring offense.

With Childs’ return likely to change the individual statistics definitively, the current leading scorer for the Cougars is senior guard Jake Toolson (15 points, 4.8 rebounds per game).

The reigning West Coast Conference player of the week, senior guard TJ Haws (14 points per game, a team-best 37 assists) and junior guard Alex Barcello (10.2 points per game, tied for a team-best 2 blocked shots with Toolson, Haws and senior forward Dalton Nixon) all score in double figures on average for the Cougars this season.

Haws and Barcello are also tied for the team lead in steals (10) with senior guard Zac Seljaas. Seljaas also leads the Cougars with 5.1 rebounds per game.

Defensively, BYU gives up 68.2 points per game, ranking the Cougars 175th nationally.

In his ninth season at Utah, head coach Larry Krystkowiak (160-113, .586 at Utah; 202-133, 603 as a collegiate head coach) has one of the best rebounding teams in the nation.

The Utes have out-rebounded opponents 296-217 (+79) on the season and per game, out-rebound opponents 42.3 (20th nationally)-31. Additionally, the Utes’ rebounding margin of +11.3 per game ranks them 8th nationally in that category.

The high-scoring Utes also score 81.4 points per contest, ranking them 31st nationally in scoring offense.

Rising star, sophomore forward Timmy Allen (19.4 points, 7.7 rebounds per game), continues to lead the squad in both points (136) and rebounds (54).

Sophomore guard Both Gach (12.9 points per game), freshman guard Rylan Jones (11.1 points per game, a team-best 40 assists per game, a team-best 8 steals,  team-best .909 free throw percentage) and sophomore forward Riley Battin (10.1 points, 6 rebounds per game) all score on average in double figures for the Utes.

Freshman center Branden Carlson has a team-best six blocked shots to pace the Utes in that category.

Utah surrenders 67.9 points per game, ranking the Utes 171st nationally in scoring defense.

The Cougars lead the Utes 131-128 all-time with Utah leading the all-time series at Salt Lake City 74-49.