Without Egor Demin, BYU renews rivalry with Wyoming

Field Level Media|published: Sat 14th December, 02:37 2024

NCAA Basketball: Brigham Young at Providence

Dec 3, 2024; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Kevin Young signals to the team during the first half against the Providence Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

BYU will rekindle an old rivalry against former conference foe Wyoming on Saturday with Egor Demin sidelined for a second consecutive game.

Demin -- a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft -- suffered a knee contusion against Providence on Dec. 3 and missed the Cougars' 95-67 victory over Fresno State on Wednesday.

Heading into Saturday's neutral-site showdown with the Cowboys in Salt Lake City, BYU coach Kevin Young anticipates the team's second-leading scorer will be out until the Big 12 opener against Arizona State on Dec. 31.

"Could have been a lot worse," Young said. "But lucky it wasn't anything worse than it is."

Demin suffered the injury in the 83-64 loss to Providence after shooting 0-of-10 from the field. For the season, Demin averages 13.3 points and a team-high 5.8 assists.

BYU (7-2) clicked on offense in Demin's absence. The Cougars shot 55.1 percent from the field and made 14-of-34 3-point attempts against Fresno State. Trevin Knell paced the team with his first career double-double, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

"Really? That's his first career double-double? We've got to frame this stat sheet for him," Young joked after the game.

Wyoming (5-4), which has lost three in a row, travels to play BYU for a second straight season after losing to the Cougars 94-68 in Provo a season ago.

Closing out close games has been a struggle for the Cowboys. Their three losses have come by a total of seven points, including a three-point setback to unbeaten Utah State in Wyoming's Mountain West opener on Dec. 4.

The Cowboys will go as far as senior guard Obi Agbim can take them. He has led the team in scoring in seven of nine games and has topped them in assists five times. Agbim posted a double-double against Utah State, tallying 17 points and 10 assists, and followed up with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists in an 82-81 road loss to South Dakota on Tuesday.

"That's what he's gonna continue to do all season, he's our PG, our leader, so we just gonna follow behind him," teammate Jordan Nesbitt said.

BYU leads the series 106-69 and is 5-2 against Wyoming at neutral sites.

--Field Level Media

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