# 2024–25 BYU Cougars men's basketball team

The 2024–25 BYU Cougars men's basketball team represents Brigham Young University during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars are led by first-year head coach Kevin Young and play their home games at Marriott Center in Provo, Utah as second-year members of the Big 12 Conference.

## Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2023–24 season 23–11, 10–8 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the No. 5 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they defeated UCF in the second round before losing to Texas Tech. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the East region. The Cougars lost in the first round to Duquesne.
On April 12, 2024, head coach Mark Pope left the school to take the head coaching position at Kentucky.
The season marked the first for BYU as members of the Big 12, having left the West Coast conference to join the Big 12 on July 1, 2023.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Noah Waterman | 0 | F | 6'11" | 215 | Junior | Savannah, NY | Transferred to Louisville |
| Jaxson Robinson | 2 | F | 6'7" | 200 | Junior | Ada, OK | Transferred to Kentucky |
| Atiki Ally Atiki | 4 | F | 6'10" | 213 | Junior | Mwanza, Tanzania | Transferred to New Mexico |
| Tredyn Christensen | 10 | F | 6'7" | 235 | Senior | Eagle Mountain, UT | Walk-on; graduated |
| Spencer Johnson | 20 | G | 6'5" | 185 | Senior | American Fork, UT | Graduated |
| Marcus Adams Jr. | 23 | F | 6'8" | 200 | Freshman | Harbor City, UT | Transferred to Cal State Northridge |
| Tanner Hayhurst | 24 | G | 6'6" | 204 | Freshman | Eagle, ID | Walk-on; transferred College of Southern Idaho |
| Aly Khalifa | 50 | F/C | 6'11" | 230 | Junior | Alexandria, Egypt | Transferred to Louisville |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Keba Keita | 13 | C | 6'8" | 235 | Junior | Bamako, Mali | Utah |
| Mawot Mag | 0 | F | 6'7" | 216 | RS Senior | Melbourne, Australia | Rutgers |
| Max Triplett | 20 | F/C | 6'9" | 210 | Junior | Huntsville, UT | Snow College |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Egor Demin SG | Russia | Real Madrid | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | May 28, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Kanon Catchings #9 SF | Brownsburg, IN | Overtime Elite | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jun 18, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| Brody Kozlowski #17 PF | Draper, UT | Corner Canyon High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Apr 22, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Elijah Crawford #18 PG | Augusta, GA | Brewster Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | May 21, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Brooks Bahr PF | Keller, TX | Keller High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Nov 6, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Mihailo Boskovic PF | Uzice, Serbia | Igokea m:tel | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | N/A | Sep 4, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: nr Rivals: nr ESPN: nr ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 20, 2024. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 30, 2024* 7:00 p.m. | | Colorado Christian | W 93–49 | – | 19 – Catchings | 7 – Keita | 11 – Demin | Marriott Center (16,323) Provo, UT |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 5, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Central Arkansas | W 88–50 | 1–0 | 18 – Demin | 10 – Keita | 11 – Demin | Marriott Center (16,941) Provo, UT |
| November 8, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | UC Riverside | W 86–80 | 2–0 | 20 – Demin | 10 – Keita | 7 – Demin | Marriott Center (17,391) Provo, UT |
| November 13, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Queens (NC) | W 99–55 | 3–0 | 22 – Baker | 13 – Keita | 5 – Demin | Marriott Center (16,789) Provo, UT |
| November 16, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Idaho | W 95–71 | 4–0 | 29 – Traore | 9 – Traore | 7 – Demin | Marriott Center (16,456) Provo, UT |
| November 23, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Mississippi Valley State | W 87–43 | 5–0 | 15 – Traore | 11 – Traore | 6 – Demin | Marriott Center (16,954) Provo, UT |
| November 28, 2024* 3:30 p.m., FS1 | | vs. No. 23 Ole Miss Rady Children's Invitational semifinals | L 85–96 $^{OT}$ | 5–1 | 17 – Catchings | 7 – Keita | 4 – Tied | LionTree Arena (4,000) San Diego, CA |
| November 29, 2024* 1:30 p.m., FOX | | vs. NC State Rady Children's Invitational 3rd place game | W 72–61 | 6–1 | 13 – Saunders | 11 – Demin | 4 – Demin | LionTree Arena (4,000) San Diego, CA |
| December 3, 2024* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | at Providence Big East–Big 12 Battle | L 64–83 | 6–2 | 16 – Baker | 10 – Keita | 4 – Hall | Amica Mutual Pavilion (12,005) Providence, RI |
| December 11, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Fresno State | W 95–67 | 7–2 | 22 – Knell | 10 – Tied | 4 – Hall | Marriott Center (15,950) Provo, UT |
| December 14, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. Wyoming | W 68–49 | 8–2 | 15 – Knell | 6 – Keita | 6 – Hall | Delta Center (11,217) Salt Lake City, UT |
| December 20, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Florida A&M | W 103–57 | 9–2 | 21 – Catchings | 9 – Keita | 7 – Hall | Marriott Center (15,544) Provo, UT |
| Big 12 regular season |||||||||
| December 31, 2024 2:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Arizona State | W 76–56 | 10–2 (1–0) | 30 – Saunders | 10 – Keita | 7 – Demin | Marriott Center (16,926) Provo, UT |
| January 4, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at No. 14 Houston | L 55–86 | 10–3 (1–1) | 12 – Knell | 6 – Traore | 7 – Demin | Fertitta Center (7,035) Houston, TX |
| January 7, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Texas Tech | L 67–72 | 10–4 (1–2) | 14 – Traore | 10 – Keita | 6 – Demin | Marriott Center (17,307) Provo, UT |
| January 11, 2025 12:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at TCU | L 67–71 | 10–5 (1–3) | 26 – Saunders | 7 – Tied | 6 – Hall | Schollmaier Arena (4,752) Fort Worth, TX |
| January 14, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Oklahoma State | W 85–69 | 11–5 (2–3) | 18 – Knell | 8 – Keita | 8 – Demin | Marriott Center (16,457) Provo, UT |
| January 18, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Utah Rivalry | L 72–73 $^{OT}$ | 11–6 (2–4) | 16 – Saunders | 9 – Keita | 4 – Saunders | Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,558) Salt Lake City, UT |
| January 21, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPNU | | at Colorado | W 83–67 | 12–6 (3–4) | 25 – Saunders | 8 – Keita | 7 – Demin | CU Events Center (6,166) Boulder, CO |
| January 25, 2025 8:30 p.m., ESPN2 | | Cincinnati | W 80–52 | 13–6 (4–4) | 21 – Saunders | 7 – Keita | 7 – Demin | Marriott Center (17,483) Provo, UT |
| January 28, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Baylor | W 93–89 $^{OT}$ | 14–6 (5–4) | 23 – Catchings | 6 – Saunders | 6 – Demin | Marriott Center (17,297) Provo, UT |
| February 1, 2025 2:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at UCF | W 81–75 | 15–6 (6–4) | 22 – Saunders | 7 – Keita | 6 – Demin | Addition Financial Arena (9,152) Orlando, FL |
| February 4, 2025 9:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 20 Arizona | L 74–85 | 15–7 (6–5) | 16 – Demin | 7 – Traore | 6 – Hall | Marriott Center (17,274) Provo, UT |
| February 8, 2025 4:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Cincinnati | L 66–84 | 15–8 (6–6) | 15 – Saunders | 3 – Tied | 3 – Hall | Fifth Third Arena (12,217) Cincinnati, OH |
| February 11, 2025 5:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at West Virginia | W 73–69 | 16–8 (7–6) | 16 – Demin | 6 – Traore | 4 – Hall | WVU Coliseum (10,879) Morgantown, WV |
| February 15, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Kansas State | W 80–65 | 17–8 (8–6) | 17 – Saunders | 14 – Saunders | 8 – Demin | Marriott Center (17,228) Provo, UT |
| February 18, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN | | No. 23 Kansas | W 91–57 | 18–8 (9–6) | 22 – Saunders | 9 – Keita | 8 – Hall | Marriott Center (17,978) Provo, UT |
| February 22, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN | | at No. 19 Arizona | W 96–95 | 19–8 (10–6) | 23 – Saunders | 6 – Keita | 8 – Demin | McKale Center (14,688) Tucson, AZ |
| February 26, 2025 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | No. 25 | at Arizona State | W 91–81 | 20–8 (11–6) | 26 – Saunders | 7 – Keita | 10 – Demin | Desert Financial Arena (9,383) Tempe, AZ |
| March 1, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 25 | West Virginia | W 77–56 | 21–8 (12–6) | 20 – Traore | 10 – Traore | 6 – Hall | Marriott Center (17,978) Provo, UT |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | No. 23 | at No. 10 Iowa State | W 88–85 $^{2OT}$ | 22–8 (13–6) | 23 – Saunders | 15 – Keita | 3 – Tied | Hilton Coliseum (14,267) Ames, IA |
| March 8, 2025 8:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 23 | Utah Rivalry | W 85–74 | 23–8 (14–6) | 15 – Baker | 7 – Tied | 6 – Demin | Marriott Center (17,978) Provo, UT |
| Big 12 tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2025 10:30 a.m., ESPN2 | (4) No. 17 | vs. (5) No. 12 Iowa State Quarterfinals | W 96−92 | 24–8 | 23 – Saunders | 10 – Keita | 7 – Hall | T-Mobile Center (15,366) Kansas City, MO |
| March 14, 2025 5:00 p.m., ESPN2 | (4) No. 17 | vs. (1) No. 2 Houston Semifinals | L 54–74 | 24–9 | 14 – Keita | 12 – Keita | 4 – Tied | T-Mobile Center (13,946) Kansas City, MO |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 20, 2025 4:05 p.m., TNT | (6) No. 17 | vs. (11) VCU First round | | | | | | Ball Arena Denver, CO |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 23 | 17 | 17 | |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | RV | 22 | 18 | 17 | |

## Awards

Two players received All-Big 12 Awards for the season. Richie Saunders was awarded the conference's Most Improved Player and named to the First-Team All Big 12, and Egor Demin was awarded an honorable mention and named to the conference's All-Freshman team.