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BYU drops 6 spots in latest AP Top 25, just ahead of newcomer Utah State

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BYU drops 6 spots in latest AP Top 25, just ahead of newcomer Utah State


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PROVO — BYU basketball’s first Big 12 loss of the year had a dramatic impact on its Associated Press poll ranking, and the same can be said of Utah State’s biggest home win of the season Saturday night.

The Cougars (12-2, 0-1 Big 12) dropped six spots to No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 released Monday following Saturday’s 71-60 home loss to Cincinnati in both team’s Big 12 debut, two spots ahead of the Aggies after earning a 77-72 win over then-No. 13 Colorado State.

That’s the first ranking for Utah State (14-1, 2-0 Mountain West) since the 2019-20 team climbed as high as No. 15, and comes with a 13-game winning streak that matches the sixth-longest in program history and ties with Samford for the second-longest active winning streak in the nation.

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BYU’s loss to the Bearcats followed Trevin Knell’s career-high 27 points on nine 3-pointers, the second-most 3-pointers in a single game in program history. The redshirt junior from Woods Cross ranks seventh in the country in 3-point percentage at 46.5%, but the rest of the Cougars hit just four 3-pointers in the loss.

BYU 6-foot-11 center Aly Khalifa continues to lead the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 8.0:1, with 48 assists to just six turnovers on the year.

Utah State graduate senior Darius Brown II ranks fourth in the country in the same category with a 5.0 clip, and also fourth in assists per game at 7.3.

Utah State forward Great Osobor (1) dunks as Colorado State guard Nique Clifford (10) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Logan, Utah.
Utah State forward Great Osobor (1) dunks as Colorado State guard Nique Clifford (10) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, in Logan, Utah. (Photo: Eli Lucero/The Herald Journal via AP)

Purdue sits atop the AP Top 25 for the third straight week ahead of Monday’s top-10 showdown with Big Ten rival Illinois, while Houston jumped Kansas to No. 2 as the last unbeaten squad in Division I men’s basketball.

The Houston Cougars (14-0) opened Big 12 play with a rout of West Virginia a year after Kelvin Sampson’s squad advanced to a third straight Sweet 16 (that also includes an Elite Eight and Final Four appearance in that time frame).

“I think our kids have always had a bit of a chip on their shoulders here,” Sampson said after Houston’s win, per the Associated Press. “We’ve had to get some of our own fans to understand that we’re pretty good. They were so bad for so long. Some of them still have not figured it out. Our kids have, and our coaches have, and we know who we are. And what we’re capable of doing.”

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The Big 12 continues to lead the country with six ranked teams, double any other conference. Utah State joins No. 17 Colorado State and No. 19 San Diego State for three from the Mountain West, tied for the second-most nationally with the Big Ten, Big East, ACC and SEC.

The 18th-ranked Cougars will travel to Waco, Texas, for their first Big 12 road game at Baylor before continuing the swing Saturday at UCF.

Utah State is home Tuesday to welcome Wyoming to the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.

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Utah

Washington EDGE Lance Holtzclaw transfers to Utah

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Washington EDGE Lance Holtzclaw transfers to Utah


Lance Holtzclaw has found a new home. The former Washington edge rusher entered the transfer portal after three years on Montlake and has signed with one of the Huskies’ former Pac-12 opponents, the Utah Utes.

Now in the Big 12, coach Kyle Whittingham’s team should be a good fit for the 6-foot-3, 225-pound pass rush specialist, which finished third in the conference in total defense, allowing 329.7 yards per game in its first year in the conference.

The Utes also finished fifth in the conference with 24 sacks, a statistic that Holtzclaw may be able to assist with if he can see the field more often.

In three years with the Huskies, the former three-star recruit who is originally from Dorchester, Massachusetts, played in 26 games and tallied 13 tackles, 2 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

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Holtzclaw’s most notable moment in a Husky uniform came in Washington’s 26-21 win over the USC Trojans in November. He came in on fourth down and pressured quarterback Miller Moss, forcing an errant throw in the game’s final seconds. He also completes an effective defensive line trade between the two schools, after the Huskies added a commitment from former Utah defensive tackle Simote Pepa last week.



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Dybantsa, Mandaquit lead Utah Prep to ‘Iolani Classic title | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Dybantsa, Mandaquit lead Utah Prep to ‘Iolani Classic title | Honolulu Star-Advertiser




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Utah Jazz vs Brooklyn Nets: Recap and Final Score

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Utah Jazz vs Brooklyn Nets: Recap and Final Score


The Utah Jazz beat the Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center with a final score of 105-94.

For the pro-tank Jazz fans, these type of games hurt. With this win, the Jazz move out of the bottom-three worst records in the league and would now fall behind the Nets in the lottery, should their records tie at the end of the season (pending Brooklyn’s visit to Utah on January 12th). With that said, losing this game would have proven difficult for Utah, as the Nets shot a shocking 7-40 from three, versus Utah’s 14-41. That type of three-point shooting discrepancy is almost insurmountable for any team in the NBA today.

The Jazz were led tonight by Lauri Markkanen’s 21 points and seven rebounds. Collin Sexton chipped in 18 points on 8-14 shooting, while Jordan Clarkson added another 16 points on 6-12 from the field. With Cody Williams and Kyle Filipowski both assigned out due to G-League assignments, Utah’s rotation featured some less-frequented veteran faces. Svi Mykhailiuk pitched in 18 points tonight on 7-11 shooting from the field and 4-8 shooting from three. Micah Potter, while only given nine minutes, scored three points, grabbed two rebounds, and dished out two assists. While both Williams and Filipowski playing more minutes in the G-League does offer some developmental value, a game like tonight would have been a great opportunity to involve them more in the offense, rather than having players like Mykhailiuk eat up playing time. Hopefully the Jazz call up both sooner than later.

For the Nets, Cam Johnson led their team in scoring with 18 points. Ben Simmons offered a double-double, scoring 15 points and nabbing 10 rebounds.

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