KANSAS CITY — If Thursday morning’s BYU-Iowa State rematch in a Big 12 tournament quarterfinal is an indication of what March Madness is going to be like for the Cougars and their fans in 2025, they better buckle up and get ready for a wild, gut-wrenching, exhilarating, highly entertaining and unpredictable ride.
Withstanding an incredible shooting barrage from Iowa State’s Curtis Jones in the first half and turning the tables on the defensive-minded Cyclones in the second half, No. 17 BYU held off shorthanded, No. 12 ISU 96-92 in a record-setting and riveting rematch of the double-overtime classic the Cougars won 98-95 nine days ago.
“It took everything we had to pull that one out,” said BYU big man Fouss Traore. “Man, that was intense. We won’t forget that one for quite a while.”
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Nor will the Cyclones (24-9), who have given up 96, 88 and 87 points to the Cougars in three of the last four matchups with the Big 12 newcomers. Those are the three highest-scoring games for an opponent in the T.J. Otzelberger era.
After having forced a whopping 29 turnovers on March 4, Iowa State got just 10 takeaways in front of a pro-Iowa State crowd — but with plenty of BYU fans in attendance, too — and gave up 18 3-pointers, which is a season-high for BYU (24-8).
“You don’t just show up to the gym and go 18 of 36 from 3,” said BYU coach Kevin Young, furthering his reputation as an offensive guru. “It’s not even just the shot-making. It is how those are generated, something we pride ourselves on in terms of spacing the floor and turning down a good shot for a great shot.”
“I thought our depth was the epitome of where we shined. It is a huge luxury to have guys that can come in and step up and make plays.”
— BYU coach Kevin Young
It was one of the greatest offensive displays — by both teams — in the history of the Big 12 tournament, as they combined to make a tournament-record 31 3-pointers. Iowa State was 13 of 30 from long range.
“Our guys have been that way all season, so for them to do it under the bright lights here against a defensive team that is obviously (elite) — that’s their hallmark, that was a really good carryover for us,” Young said.
Noted Otzelberger: “Today it really felt like both teams played with that freedom and confidence in the open court and the basketball moved and guys made big plays and big shots. I think it was two really good teams with a lot of competitive spirit throwing punches back and forth.”
The Cougars delivered the knockout punch with just under a minute left after Jones’ 30th and 31st points trimmed BYU’s lead to one. Richie Saunders — who else? — did the honors, scoring 11 of the Cougars’ final 14 points.
In winning its ninth-straight game, and notching its eighth Quad 1 victory of the year, BYU (24-8) continued its run as one of the hottest teams, with one of the most explosive offenses, in the country.
BYU shot 52% from the floor (30 of 58) and 50% (18 of 36) from 3-point range, but also won the game from the free-throw line. The team that had some really ugly free-throw shooting games in the regular season was clutch when clutch was needed, going 18 of 21 from the stripe. Iowa State was whistled for 10 more fouls than BYU, and got only seven free throws — a far cry from the game in Ames when the free-throw disparity was quite the opposite.
The Cyclones outscored the Cougars 40-20 in the paint. BYU’s bench outscored Iowa State’s 41-9, another huge difference in the game.
“I thought our depth was the epitome of where we shined,” Young said. “It is a huge luxury to have guys that can come in and step up and make plays.”
No play was bigger than Saunders’ 3-pointer with 49 seconds remaining, after taking a pass from Dallin Hall, that gave BYU a 92-88 lead. The Cougars assisted on 24 of their 30 made baskets.
Iowa State played without two starters — Keshon Gilbert and Tamin Lipsey — who combine to average 24 points per game. Young acknowledged that in his opening remarks.
“They had guys down and they had guys step up,” Young said, marveling at how Jones scored 31 points — including 22 in a span of 5 minutes, 23 seconds in the first half.
“It felt like no matter what we did he was going to make a shot,” Young said.
Meanwhile, Saunders validated his status as a First Team All-Big 12 selection by going 8 of 8 from the free-throw line (he’s 21 of 21 against ISU this year) and 6 of 12 from the field for 23 points.
Was he surprised at how open he was on that dagger with 49 seconds left?
“Yeah, maybe a little bit, but just Dawson Baker (who set the play up with penetration) is an incredible passer. He got to two feet and luckily I was the one that had a window. … We had a lot of what we call paint-to-great 3s, and that was just one of them.”
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Trevin Knell was 4 of 4 from deep, finishing with 14 points in 19 minutes and getting BYU off to a good start with a 3-pointer just 13 seconds into the game. At Ames, BYU didn’t score until more than six minutes was off the clock.
“Shoutout to Cougar Nation, which showed up in force,” Knell said. “They had a huge crowd, but we got a good spark from our fans who were here, too.”
The Cougars also got 10 huge points from Mihailo Boskovic off the bench, and five rebounds to finish plus-3 in the rebounding department.
“Coach called my number, and I was ready,” Boskovic said. “I looked for my shot. That’s what I do.”
When they weren’t firing away freely from deep, the Cougars were doing just enough inside to keep ISU honest. Traore added 15 points and was nearly perfect, 5 of 6 from the field and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line.
Keba Keita had nine points, 10 rebounds and back-to-back baskets between the eight- and six-minute marks when the teams were swapping buckets with frequency. Although the game was tied six times, there were only two lead changes.
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Both teams had 10-point leads in the first half; Iowa State had a 70-61 advantage with 13:21 left after a layup by Joshua Jefferson. At that point, BYU appeared to be in trouble, but Trey Stewart took some time away from mostly shutting down Jones in the second half to hit a 3-pointer to right the Cougars.
“Trey was outstanding in that second half,” said Hall, who had seven points, seven assists and just one turnover in 26 minutes.
In one of the crazier stats of the game, BYU had only one more turnover than Iowa State did.
“I thought we had more of a plan (than in Ames), honestly,” Young said. “I thought we were more organized. We had a hard time in that game up there, and it is a credit to their atmosphere … But today I thought we had more poise. Like Richie just said, we played more from a position of strength than we did in that game.”
Brigham Young Cougars forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) and guard Trey Stewart (1) celebrate together after BYU’s victory over the Iowa State Cyclones in a quarterfinals game of the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars center Fousseyni Traore (45) battles for a rebound with Iowa State Cyclones center Dishon Jackson (1) and forward Joshua Jefferson (2) during a quarterfinals game in the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) puts up a shot during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) drives the ball to the basket while being guarded by Iowa State Cyclones guard Cade Kelderman (13) during a quarterfinals game at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) passes the ball during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) struggles for the ball with Iowa State Cyclones forward Milan Momcilovic (22) and forward Joshua Jefferson (2) during a quarterfinals game in the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Iowa State Cyclones center Dishon Jackson (1) blocks a shot by Brigham Young Cougars center Fousseyni Traore (45) during a quarterfinals game at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) reaches for a loose ball during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill celebrates a turn over during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kevin Young yells to his players from the sidelines during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars center Keba Keita (13) drives to the basket for a dunk while Iowa State Cyclones center Dishon Jackson (1) attempts to block him during a quarterfinals game at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars center Keba Keita (13) celebrates their victory over the Iowa State Cyclones in a quarterfinals game in the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) passes the ball during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kevin Young shouts plays to his players from the sidelines as Brigham Young Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) dribbles the ball down the court during a quarterfinals game against the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Dallin Hall (30) dribbles the ball down the court during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) attempts to stop a shot by Brigham Young Cougars center Fousseyni Traore (45) during a quarterfinals game in the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Trevin Knell (21) celebrates with Brigham Young University President Shane Reese after BYU’s victory over the Iowa State Cyclones in a quarterfinals game of the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) drives through Iowa State Cyclones center Dishon Jackson (1) and guard Nate Heise (0) during a quarterfinals game at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) puts up a shot during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Fans watch a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars center Keba Keita (13) attempts to block a shot by Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (2) during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
A Brigham Young Cougars fan cheers for their team during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars center Fousseyni Traore (45) puts up a shot during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars center Keba Keita (13) attempts to put a rebound into the basket during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars center Fousseyni Traore (45) puts up a shot during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars guard Egor Demin (3) puts up a shot while being guarded by Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson (2) during a quarterfinals in the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars center Fousseyni Traore (45) dunks the ball during a quarterfinals game between BYU and the Iowa State Cyclones at the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) passes the ball around Iowa State Cyclones guard Nate Heise (0) during a quarterfinals game in the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) drives the ball down the court while being guarded by Iowa State Cyclones guard Cade Kelderman (13) during a quarterfinals game in the Big 12 Championship at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 13, 2025. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
