No. 11 BYU poses tall task for TCU as part of tough road trip
TCU opens a two-game road swing with a big challenge in No. 11 BYU in a Big 12 Conference game Wednesday in Provo, Utah.
The Horned Frogs (11-5, 1-2 Big 12) have dropped two straight games, both against ranked teams. A 104-100 overtime setback at then-No. 22 Kansas on Jan. 6 was followed by an 83-76 setback at home against No. 1 Arizona on Saturday.
BYU (15-1, 3-0) ran its winning streak to 12 contests when it traveled to instate-rival Utah and picked up a hard-fought 89-84 win Saturday.
The Cougars' Richie Saunders earned honors as Big 12 Player of the Week, as well as USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week, after he had a pair of huge games last week. Saunders poured in 31 points and grabbed eight rebounds as BYU throttled visiting Arizona State 104-76 on Jan. 7.
For an encore, the senior guard collected 24 points and 14 rebounds against the Utes. BYU is 9-0 this season when Saunders tallies 20 or more points.
"I think when you shoot the ball at the clip Richie shot it last year, it's like, OK, can you do that again?" BYU coach Kevin Young said. "I think he's been pretty good there and is driving the ball even better than he did last year. Richie's game is not a secret. He's going to do the things he does well. I think it's a matter of being consistent in those things, and he's been doing just that for us."
Robert Wright III, a sophomore, added 23 points and AJ Dybantsa tallied 20 points. It's the ninth straight game the freshman phenom has racked up at least 20 points for the Cougars.
As the No. 1 recruit in the country and a consensus five-star talent, Dybantsa wasn't startled by the hostile environment BYU faced in the rivalry game at Utah. He said he's grown comfortable with the spotlight on him and the attention that comes from fans trying to throw off the Cougars' top scorer and second-leading rebounder.
"I've been dealing with this (hostile fans) since I was 13," said Dybantsa, who averages 22.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. "I've been getting hate comments, hate phrases and hate sayings during games. I have heard it all. I just have to play my game and make good decisions."
Against two powerhouse teams, the Horned Frogs acquitted themselves well, even if they didn't walk away with victories. Tanner Toolson led TCU against No. 1 Arizona with 20 points and was 3 of 4 on 3-point attempts. Brock Harding and Jayden Pierre each added 11 points against the Wildcats.
"The best part is we played the No. 1 team in the country today," Harding said after the game Saturday. "We get to turn around, go to Utah and play another one of the best teams (BYU) in the country. That's what this league is, top to bottom. You can't ride the highs or ride the lows. You've got to stay right in the middle and come back ready to work no matter what the outcome was the day before."
It's a two-game road trip that culminates with a game against Utah on Saturday in Salt Lake City. Toolson, a junior guard, set high goals for the Horned Frogs' trip to the Beehive State.
"We have a quick turn around," Toolson said. "We have a big week and we are going to go into Utah and get two (wins). That's our mindset, which we will prepare for everyday in practice. We have to do everything we can to get ready for it."