Takeaways From No. 17 BYU’s Blowout Loss Against No. 2 Houston

Houston bounced BYU basketball from the Big 12 Tournament in the Semifinals on Friday night, 74-54.

The Cougars in blue shot 21% from 3-point range in the loss to Houston. That was only one day after hitting a Big 12 Tournament record 18 threes against Iowa State.

BYU’s offensive performances in two games at the Big 12 Tournament. pic.twitter.com/djxa971zbr

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 15, 2025

Houston’s defense without leader J’Wan Roberts didn’t skip a beat as they held BYU to a season-low in scoring.

Here are the takeaways from BYU’s loss that drops the Cougars to 24-9 overall entering Selection Sunday.

BYU basketball was flat to open the game against Houston

To see BYU lose by 20 points against Houston was surprising. BYU entered the game as one of the hottest teams in the country, being ranked No. 2 in the Bart Torvik ratings since their winning streak began.

One spot behind BYU in the Torvik predictive ratings entering the night was Houston at No. 3. It was anything but closely contested.

Before BYU could settle in, they found themselves down 15-0. BYU was not immune from slow starts in recent games. They started slow in the regular season finale against Utah, the road win at Iowa State, and the win at home over West Virginia.

Houston 9, BYU 0 – 15:37

BYU can't get a clean pass off. Houston is in the passing lanes contesting every BYU pass.

Kevin Young had to turn to Dallin Hall for Egor before the first media timeout.

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 14, 2025

However, falling into an early deficit against a defensive juggernaut like Houston is a far more challenging hole to dig yourself out of.

BYU head coach Kevin Young felt his team came out flat. It’s hard to argue against that assessment.

“We came out a little flat, honestly, not sure why in a big game like that,” said BYU coach Kevin Young. “But we couldn’t throw it in the ocean to start the game and went 3-of-16 from three in the first half, which is obviously unlike us. So that kind of put us in the mud. But look, Houston is a really good team.”

Houston did an excellent job not letting Richie Saunders get downhill

The Big 12’s “Most Improved Player,” Richie Saunders, was shut down against the suffocating defense from Houston. Saunders finished with 10 points, his lowest scoring output since the West Virginia game on February 11.

Houston’s defensive attack against Saunders stood out because of their ability to take away his strength of attacking the rim. Houston defenders such as Terrance Arceneaux, Ja’Vier Francis, and Jojo Tugler were always waiting, ready to stop his momentum.

Houston and Texas Tech have been the only teams able to slow down Saunders from attacking the rim. It’s no surprise those are the top two teams in the league.

Keba Keita in the second half was a bright spot

BYU was down by 21 at the halftime break. It could have been easy for BYU to roll over and call it a night in Kansas City, as they are less than a week away from their NCAA Tournament opener.

Keba Keita wasn’t going down lightly.

If this doesn’t start the motors…
They ain’t starting. pic.twitter.com/KfmTo7OXUz

— Hans Olsen (@975Hans) March 15, 2025

Keita started the second half with a pair of slam dunks, and he had some authority behind those throwdowns.

He also had a pair of blocks, with one that was launched into the front row.

Keita finished with 14 points, a game-high for BYU, and all of his points were in the second half. To go along with his 14 points, he also grabbed 12 rebounds.

The game was played at Houston’s pace

Houston is 16th out of 16 teams in the Big 12 in KenPom’s tempo ratings. They play a slower pace, while BYU thrives in getting up and down the floor and playing a game in the 80s.

Only two Big 12 teams this season have scored above 70 points on Houston. The Coogs knew that if they were going to take down BYU, the game had to be played at their speed. It clearly was, as BYU never settled into their offensive sets against Houston.

BYU remains a potentially dangerous team in the upcoming NCAA Tournament

BYU basketball’s run in Kansas City comes to a close. However, that only means that the NCAA Tournament is up next. At the end of the day, any Cougar fan would probably take some wins in the NCAA Tournament.

BYU hasn’t won a Round of 64 game since 2011.

What seed do you believe BYU basketball will receive in the 2025 NCAA Tournament?

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 15, 2025

Despite the disappointing performance against Houston, BYU will be a matchup nightmare for many teams unfamiliar with Kevin Young’s squad.

The potential is still there for a run in March Madness.

“I’m just excited for our group. To win nine of our last 10 and play the way we’ve played gives us a lot of momentum going into the NCAA Tournament.”

The biggest question is, what seed will BYU receive? Entering Friday, BYU was forecasted as a 6-seed on Bracket Matrix. Do they drop down to a 7-seed? We shall see.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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