The Cougars seem to be achingly close breaking through against ranked teams this season. They have already played two of them close this season, but both games ultimately account for the downside of the Cougars’ 7-2 record.
BYU suffered its first loss of the season, 90-88, when it played then-No. 21 Iowa State in the Marriott Center. The second loss, a 75-62 setback, came during the CBE Hall of Fame Classic finals at the hands of then-No. 12 Wichita State. In both games the Cougars were leading at the end of the first half but had a hard time finishing what they started.
BYU will get another chance to prove it has what it takes to compete with ranked teams and break the curse Saturday, Dec. 5, when it plays No. 21 ranked University of Massachusetts at 1:30 p.m. EST. UMass is coming off a 69-57 road win against Eastern Michigan and currently boasts a perfect 7-0 record.
The Cougars are coming off a 97-67 win over North Texas in the Marriott Center. During the game Matt Carlino posted a double-double with a career-best 10 rebounds while tying a career high with 11 assists. Eric Mika and Nate Austin posted their first career double-doubles, while Kyle Collinsworth and Skyler Halford set career highs in points scored.
BYU will play the Massachusetts Minutemen in the Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. It will be BYU’s fourth neutral site contest in its last five games. Saturday’s game will be televised live on the CBS Sports Network and broadcast live on the Cougar IMG Sports Network on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM.
