BYU star power forward Fousseyni Traore, hamstrung by an injury since the day after Thanksgiving, will look to play three in a row as the Cougars head to Orlando to face UCF.
BYU knew that if it was going to compete in arguably the nation's best basketball conference, serious changes were needed. Coach Mark Pope and his staff went to work building a roster after the Cougars accepted an invitation in 2021 to join the Big 12 Conference, knowing the transition would be difficult in the short term. BYU took plenty of lumps last season while mostly relying on inexperienced freshmen and sophomores.
Trevin Knell had 17 points, five rebounds and two assists, and four players scored in double figures as the 14th-ranked Cougars overwhelmed the Cowboys 94-68.