BYU outlasts UCF in most physical game of the season

In a close game that featured unlimited double teams, loose balls, extra bumps, and clogged driving lanes, BYU came out on top in an 81-75 victory over UCF in Orlando.

BYU had to dig deep into its bag of tricks to come out with a win, but are now winners of four straight with all the momentum going forward.

It was clear from the opening tip what UCF's game plan was: apply the pressure.

On almost every high screen or dribble handoff, UCF would double team BYU's ball handlers, and it worked wonders.

BYU was caught off guard by UCF's aggressive defense in the first half, and struggled in the half-court offense. UCF stole the ball nine times and forced 12 turnovers out of the Cougars.

This aggressive style of play led to UCF's leading scorer, Keyshawn Hall, to pick up three early fouls in the game. The Knights were without Hall for the majority of the first and he only managed to score two points, a small amount compared to his 18 that he had in the second half.

BYU was only able to find success from 3-point range and in a fast tempo offense. If the Cougars slowed things down, then the Knights' defense was too overwhelming. Richie Saunders and Trevin Knell combined for seven 3-pointers in the first half.

Down by two at halftime, BYU's locker room knew they needed to make a change.

"What it came down to was an attitude of 'we have got to be tougher', we just got to," Saunders said in his post game interview on ESPN+.

The Cougars came out of the halftime break exactly that: tougher.

Mawot Mag was the key to BYU countering UCF's style of play. The senior transfer logged 17 minutes in the second half and had his best game as a Cougar. Both on offense and defense.

Mag finished with 16 points in the second half on 5 of 9 shooting. He was a plus-12 in plus/minus and was the clear tone setter for the Cougars.

Another Cougar who came out swinging after halftime was Keba Keita.

Keita had a monster block with just under 20 seconds in the game that would have cut BYU's lead to three. Up six with 10 seconds left, Keita blocked another attempt at the rim to officially seal the game.

With the clock dwindling down and the final buzzer sounding, Keita was seen going back and forth verbally with members of UCF's team. He had to be held back by teammates and coaches to prevent any excessive taunting.

Mag and Keita's presence in the second half set up Richie Saunders to have another stellar performance.

Saunders finished the game with 22 points on 6 of 9 shooting from deep. He also chipped in two steals. Saunders scored eight points in the final minutes of the game, proving that he can be a go-to scorer down the stretch.

The value of this win for BYU cannot be downplayed. In ESPN's latest bracketology, the Cougars were on the outside looking in, landing in the "first four out" category.

This win will likely propel them inside the tournament as of right now.

Two weeks ago, this BYU team was hanging their heads low coming off a devastating loss to their in-state rivals, Utah, but are now winners of four straight.

BYU improves to 14-6 on the season and 6-4 in conference play.

The Cougars will host Arizona on Feb. 4 for an important Big 12 matchup.