Kevin Young keeps his word, continues to ‘carry the torch’

BYU Cougars head coach Kevin Young watches a play unfold during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024.

When BYU basketball coach Kevin Young said he wanted to “carry the torch” from football’s impressive season and “keep momentum going” he wasn’t kidding, and on Saturday he was true to his word.

Young’s Cougars blasted Arizona State 76-56 in the Big 12 opener at the Marriott Center. Beating the Sun Devils like he did was a way for Young to tip his cap to Kalani Sitake and the football team, while providing a little payback for what happened on Nov. 23.

A spirited Arizona State squad jumped out to a 21-0 lead on that sunny day in Tempe and held on to upset the No. 14 Cougars 28-23, knocking them off the road to Arlington and the Big 12 championship game.

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Young flipped the script when the 9-2 Sun Devils came to town on Tuesday. Not only was the home crowd on his side, but the Cougars charged out of the gate to take an 18-4 lead when Richie Saunders buried a 3-point shot.

In the second half, BYU kept the pressure on and when Saunders hit another 3 for a career-high 30 points, it was as if the Cougars were spiking the ball in the end zone. Mission accomplished. Redemption delivered.

Football and basketball are never far apart and when both are flying high, life on campus is pretty good. Young’s Cougars go to No. 14 Houston (9-3, 1-0) Saturday (noon, ESPN+) with a 10-2 record. Sitake’s Cougars beat Houston last month to finish the regular season 10-2.

BYU’s Alamo Bowl performance capped a magical run in just their second year in the Big 12. To win an 11th game against a top-25 team in front of a bowl-record 8 million television viewers is an impressive way to pass the torch to basketball.

Beating Arizona State in his Big 12 debut makes for a Happy New Year for Young, whose toughest challenges lie ahead, especially on Saturday where Houston’s 22-game home win streak is the longest in Division I basketball.

No doubt, Young’s guys will be the underdog, just as Sitake’s Cougars were last Saturday in San Antonio. Is Texas ready for a second BYU stunner in seven days? One thing we know right now is Young has a firm grip on “the torch” and the momentum to extend football’s glee into 2025.

BYU Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) high-fives fans after defeating the Arizona State Sun Devils during an NCAA men’s basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.

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