2023–24 BYU Cougars men's basketball team

The 2023–24 BYU Cougars men's basketball team represented Brigham Young University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars were led by fifth-year head coach Mark Pope and played their home games at Marriott Center in Provo, Utah as first-year members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 23–11, 10–8 in Big 12 play to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the No. 5 seed in the Big 12 tournament, they defeated UCF in the second round before losing to Texas Tech. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 6 seed in the East region. The Cougars lost in the first round to Duquesne.

2023–24 BYU Cougars men's basketball
Vegas Showdown champions
NCAA tournament, First Round
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record23–11 (10–8 Big 12)
Head coach
Associate head coachCody Fueger
Assistant coaches
Home arenaMarriott Center
Seasons
2023–24 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No.Houston 15 3   .833 32 5   .865
No. 8 Iowa State 13 5   .722 29 8   .784
No. 16 Baylor 11 7   .611 24 11   .686
Texas Tech 11 7   .611 23 11   .676
BYU 10 8   .556 23 11   .676
No. 19 Kansas 10 8   .556 23 11   .676
Texas 9 9   .500 21 13   .618
TCU 9 9   .500 21 13   .618
Oklahoma 8 10   .444 20 12   .625
Kansas State 8 10   .444 19 15   .559
Cincinnati 7 11   .389 22 15   .595
UCF 7 11   .389 17 16   .515
Oklahoma State 4 14   .222 12 20   .375
West Virginia 4 14   .222 9 23   .281
2024 Big 12 tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

On April 12, 2024, head coach Mark Pope left the school to take the head coaching position at Kentucky.[1]

The season marked the first for BYU as members of the Big 12, having left the West Coast conference to join the Big 12 on July 1, 2023.[2]

Previous season

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The Cougars finished the 2022–23 season 19–15, 7–9 in WCC play to finish in a 3-way tie for fifth place. Due to a tiebreaker, as the No. 5 seed in the WCC tournament, they defeated Portland in the second round, Loyola Marymount in the quarterfinals before losing to Saint Mary's in the semifinals.

Offseason

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Departures

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Rudi Williams 3 G 6'2" 195 Senior Hamilton, ON Graduated
Gideon George 5 F 6'6" 210 Senior Minna, Nigeria Graduated
Tanner Toolson 13 G 6'5" 190 Freshman Vancouver, WA Transferred to Utah Valley
Nate Webb 33 F 6'6" 210 Sophomore Rexburg, ID Walk-on; TBD
Hao Dong 55 F 6'5" 210 Freshman Beijing, China Walk-on; transferred

Incoming transfers

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Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Dawson Baker 24 G 6'4" 190 Junior Coto de Caza, CA UC Irvine
Aly Khalifa 50 F/C 6'11" 230 RS Junior Alexandria, Egypt Charlotte

Recruiting classes

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2023 recruiting class

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There were no incoming recruits for the class of 2023.

Roster

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2023–24 BYU Cougars men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Noah Waterman 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Niagara Savannah, NY
G 1 Trey Stewart 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 189 lb (86 kg) Jr American Fork American Fork, UT
G 2 Jaxson Robinson 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Arkansas Ada, OK
F 4 Atiki Ally Atiki 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Jr London Basketball Academy (ON) Mwanza, Tanzania
F 10 Tredyn Christensen (W) 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Chaminade Eagle Mountain, UT
F 12 Townsend Tripple (W) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Rocky Mountain Meridian, ID
G 15 Richie Saunders 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Wasatch Academy Riverton, UT
G 20 Spencer Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Sr Salt Lake CC American Fork, UT
G 21 Trevin Knell 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 197 lb (89 kg) RS Jr Woods Cross Woods Cross, UT
F 23 Marcus Adams, Jr. 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Kansas Harbor City, CA
G 24 Tanner Hayhurst (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 204 lb (93 kg) RS Fr Eagle Eagle, ID
G 25 Dawson Baker 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr UC Irvine Coto de Caza, CA
G 30 Dallin Hall 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Fremont Plain City, UT
F 45 Fousseyni Traore 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 254 lb (115 kg) Jr Wasatch Academy Bamako, Mali
F/C 50 Aly Khalifa 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Charlotte Alexandria, Egypt
G 51 Jared McGregor (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Westlake Saratoga Springs, UT
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
November 4, 2023*
7:00 p.m., BYUtv/ESPN+
Life Pacific W 83–55  n/a
 20  Robinson   8  Waterman   5  Johnson  Marriott Center (13,733)
Provo, UT
Non-conference Regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Houston Christian W 110–63  1–0
 20  Johnson   9  Traore   7  Johnson  Marriott Center (13,103)
Provo, UT
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 17 San Diego State W 74–65  2–0
 18  Hall   8  Traore   4  Traore  Marriott Center (15,689)
Provo, UT
November 15, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Southeastern Louisiana W 105–48  3–0
 18  Tied   8  Ally Atiki   6  Tied  Marriott Center (13,116)
Provo, UT
November 18, 2023
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
Morgan State W 93–50  4–0
 19  Robinson   6  Robinson   8  Johnson  Marriott Center (13,736)
Provo, UT
November 23, 2023
10:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. Arizona State
Vegas Showdown semifinals
W 77–49  5–0
 24  Waterman   9  Tied   5  Traore  Michelob Ultra Arena (2,223)
Paradise, NV
November 24, 2023*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
vs. NC State
Vegas Showdown championship
W 95–86  6–0
 23  Robinson   9  Khalifa   5  Khalifa  Michelob Ultra Arena (2,647)
Paradise, NV
December 1, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 19 vs. Fresno State W 85–56  7–0
 24  Robinson   6  Knell   5  Tied  Delta Center (11,360)
Salt Lake City, UT
December 5, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 14 Evansville W 96–55  8–0
 19  Robinson   8  Waterman   7  Hall  Marriott Center (13,291)
Provo, UT
December 9, 2023
5:00 p.m., P12N
No. 14 at Utah L 69-73  8–1
 17  Robinson   11  Johnson   6  Khalifa  Jon M. Huntsman Center (15,648)
Salt Lake City, UT
December 13, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 18 Denver W 90–74  9–1
 28  Robinson   14  Waterman   6  Johnson  Marriott Center (13,349)
Provo, UT
December 16, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 18 Georgia State W 86–54  10–1
 20  Saunders   7  Ally Atiki   7  Johnson  Marriott Center (13,819)
Provo, UT
December 22, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 17 Bellarmine W 101–59  11–1
 14  Tied   8  Johnson   7  Johnson  Marriott Center (14,429)
Provo, UT
December 30, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 14 Wyoming W 94–68  12–1
 17  Tied   8  Tied   8  Khalifa  Marriott Center (17,978)
Provo, UT
Big 12 regular season
January 6, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 12 Cincinnati L 60–71  12–2
(0–1)
 27  Knell   8  Waterman   6  Khalifa  Marriott Center (16,879)
Provo, UT
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 18 at No. 14 Baylor L 72–81  12–3
(0–2)
 15  Tied   6  Waterman   6  Khalifa  Foster Pavilion (7,500)
Waco, TX
January 13, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 18 at UCF W 63–58  13–3
(1–2)
 17  Khalifa   7  Waterman   6  Hall  Addition Financial Arena (9,137)
Orlando, FL
January 16, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 20 No. 24 Iowa State W 87–72  14–3
(2–2)
 28  Johnson   9  Johnson   8  Hall  Marriott Center (15,491)
Provo, UT
January 20, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 20 at No. 25 Texas Tech L 78–85  14–4
(2–3)
 21  Khalifa   8  Traore   6  Hall  United Supermarkets Arena (15,098)
Lubbock, TX
January 23, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 21 No. 4 Houston L 68–75  14–5
(2–4)
 17  Waterman   6  Tied   5  Hall  Marriott Center (16,553)
Provo, UT
January 27, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 21 Texas W 84–72  15–5
(3–4)
 17  Tied   8  Johnson   8  Khalifa  Marriott Center (17,978)
Provo, UT
February 3, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 22 at West Virginia W 86–73  16–5
(4–4)
 24  Traore   9  Traore   12  Hall  WVU Coliseum (11,753)
Morgantown, WV
February 6, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 21 at Oklahoma L 66–82  16–6
(4–5)
 21  Traore   8  Waterman   4  Johnson  Lloyd Noble Center (6,834)
Norman, OK
February 10, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 21 Kansas State W 72–66  17–6
(5–5)
 14  Traore   8  Traore   6  Khalifa  Marriott Center (17,446)
Provo, UT
February 13, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 19 UCF W 90–88  18–6
(6–5)
 21  Robinson   9  Waterman   5  Hall  Marriott Center (15,590)
Provo, UT
February 17, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 19 at Oklahoma State L 83–93  18–7
(6–6)
 17  Traore   6  Hall   4  Hall  Gallagher-Iba Arena (7,360)
Stillwater, OK
February 20, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 25 No. 11 Baylor W 78–71  19–7
(7–6)
 14  Khalifa   9  Johnson   7  Khalifa  Marriott Center (17,978)
Provo, UT
February 24, 2024
12:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 25 at Kansas State L 74–84  19–8
(7–7)
 15  Robinson   7  Waterman   8  Hall  Bramlage Coliseum (9,117)
Manhattan, KS
February 27, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+
at No. 7 Kansas W 76–68  20–8
(8–7)
 18  Tied   7  Traore   5  Traore  Allen Fieldhouse (16,300)
Lawrence, KS
March 2, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
TCU W 87–75  21–8
(9–7)
 21  Traore   7  Tied   7  Hall  Marriott Center (17,978)
Provo, UT
March 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 20 at No. 6 Iowa State L 63–68  21–9
(9–8)
 20  Saunders   11  Tied   6  Khalifa  Hilton Coliseum (14,267)
Ames, IA
March 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+
No. 20 Oklahoma State W 85–71  22–9
(10–8)
 19  Traore   10  Johnson   6  Hall  Marriott Center (17,978)
Provo, UT
Big 12 tournament
March 13, 2024
10:30 a.m., ESPN2
(5) No. 20 vs. (12) UCF
Second Round
W 87–73  23–9
 14  Traore   10  Traore   7  Johnson  T-Mobile Center (16,044)
Kansas City, MO
March 14, 2024
10:30 a.m., ESPN2
(5) No. 20 vs. (4) No. 25 Texas Tech
Quarterfinals
L 67–81  23–10
 18  Robinson   7  Johnson   7  Hall  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
NCAA tournament
March 21, 2024*
10:40 a.m., TruTV
(6 E) No. 21 vs. (11 E) Duquesne
First Round
L 67–71  23–11
 25  Robinson   16  Johnson   6  Hall  CHI Health Center 
Omaha, NE
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Mountain Time.

Source[3]

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
APRVRV19141817141218202122211925RV202021RV
CoachesRVRV1913т1715121217191921191721RV232121RV

References

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  1. ^ "Kentucky hires Mark Pope: BYU coach, player on Wildcats' 1995-96 national title team succeeds John Calipari". CBSSports.com. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "BYU officially joins Big 12 Conference". ABC4 Utah. July 1, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". byucougars.com. Retrieved July 5, 2023.