A critical matchup against the hottest team in the country?

Not a problem for Kevin Young’s BYU Cougars.

BYU ended Kansas State’s six-game win streak with an impressive 80-65 victory over the Wildcats Saturday night at the Marriott Center.

The Cougars are now 17-8 on the season and in 8-6 Big 12 play.

3 takeaways

BYU had arguably its best first half of the season. Over the past six games heading into Saturday, Kansas State had averaged 77.1 points per contest.

After 20 minutes in Provo, the Wildcats had managed just 22.

The Cougars led 40-22 at intermission, holding Kansas State to a 27.1% shooting clip from the field, playing solid defense and dishing out 11 assists.

Aside from a lack of 3-point success, it was some of the most complete team basketball we’ve seen from BYU under Young.

While the Wildcats heated up after halftime to keep things interesting, the Cougars kept their opponent at bay and handed them their first loss since Jan. 22.

BYU’s big men feasted. Keba Keita and Fousseyni Traore combined for 20 points and 15 rebounds, with Keita coming a point shy of notching his first double double against conference competition.

Keita also recorded a career-best five blocks — the most for a Cougar since Matt Haarms in 2021 — in his absolute most dominant outing at BYU.

Traore did his work in just 12 minutes, and the Cougars were +11 with him on the floor. He even made five of six free throws — no small feat for a big man.

Surprisingly enough, neither Traore nor Keita led the team in rebounds. Instead, Richie Saunders grabbed a personal-best 14 boards, with five coming on the offensive glass.

The Cougars struggled to shoot from distance, but it didn’t matter. BYU hit six 3-pointers — one of its lowest totals of the season — but still shot 49.1% from the field and dished out 18 assists.

10 different Cougars scored on the night, with Saunders putting up 17 points and Dallin Hall adding 16.

Egor Demin continued his playmaking mastery with eight assists against just two turnovers, helping BYU get in positions to score 41 points in the paint and average 1.27 points per possession.

While the Cougars have relied heavily on the 3-pointer this season, Saturday against Kansas State proved that they can get creative when necessary against good competition.