The Kevin Young era at BYU is off to a hot start.
The new-look Cougars earned a convincing 88-50 win over Central Arkansas Tuesday night, notching Young’s first career victory as a college head coach.
3 takeaways
- Egor Demin is just as good — if not better — than advertised. The freshman phenom and NBA Draft prospect dominated in his BYU debut, scoring a team-high 18 points, swiping four steals and dishing out 11 assists as the Cougars’ primary ball handler. Simply put, Demin plays as if he came down from a higher league, and his dynamic skillset could eventually cement him as an all-time program great.
- “3-Y-U” isn’t going anywhere. The Cougars attempted 44 3-pointers, making 15 for a 34% clip. Demin and fellow freshman Kanon Catchings each made four shots from deep, with Richie Saunders adding another three makes as well. Every BYU player who touched the floor, aside from big men Keba Keita and Fouss Traore, attempted multiple shots from distance.
- BYU was plenty productive in the post. The Cougars scored 36 points in the paint, compared to just 16 from Central Arkansas. BYU also won the rebounding battle 49-31 — grabbing 20 offensive boards in the process — and swatted seven blocks. The tandem of Keita and Traore combined for 12 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks, missing just two shots and leading the defensive charge.
