BYU Secures Inaugural Big 12 Triumph by Prevailing Over UCF

In Orlando, Fla., Aly Khalifa led no. 18 BYU to a 63-58 victory over UCF with 17 points.Saturday afternoon witnessed Trevin Knell contributing 14 points and Spencer Johnson adding 12 for the Cougars. BYU (13-3, 1-2 Big 12) achieved its first win in the Big 12 Conference.

It also marked the 100th triumph for Mark Pope as the Cougars’ head coach.UCF’s Darius Johnson led with 18 points. Additionally, Ibrahim Diallo notched a game-high 19 rebounds along with 11 points, while Jaylin Sellers added 13 points for the Knights. Despite UCF (10-5, 1-2) outrebounding BYU 44-38, they fell short against a Top 25 opponent for the second time in a row due to shooting 29% from the field.

Sellers’ two successful free throws narrowed BYU’s lead to 59-58 with 2:00 remaining, bringing UCF within one point after being behind by 13. In the final moments, both Darius Johnson and Sellers missed potential tying shots, and the Cougars secured the win with two late free throws from Richie Saunders with 1.1 seconds left.

Before halftime, UCF struggled to find their footing on offense, shooting only 26% from the field and going 5-of-13 from the free throw line in the first 20 minutes. An early 11-7 lead for UCF was established with 3-pointers from Darius Johnson and C.J. Walker, but they then faced a dry spell, missing 10 consecutive shots and remaining scoreless for six minutes. This allowed BYU to capitalize and proceed with a 9-0 run to claim a 16-11 lead. Baskets from Spencer Johnson and Saunders fueled the Cougars’ surge.

Later in the first half, BYU also faced difficulty extending their lead, as they missed four successive shots and went four minutes without scoring. However, they regained momentum early in the second half, answering a UCF lead with an 8-0 run and securing a 34-27 advantage after Jaxson Robinson’s jumper.

Witnessed during the second half, Khalifa’s dunk and 3-pointer contributed to BYU’s 57-44 lead with 7:17 left in the game.

  1. College Sports News

    WCC to Add Grand Canyon and Seattle in 2025

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    WCC adding Seattle U and Grand Canyon University

    Seattle and Grand Canyon will be leaving the Western Athletic Conference and moving to the West Coast Conference starting July 2025.

    The nine current members of the conference are private universities with a religious affiliation. Seattle is a Jesuit institution, while Grand Canyon, situated in Phoenix, is a Christian college.

    Grand Canyon’s basketball achievements were a significant factor in attracting WCC commissioner Stu Jackson. The team has participated in the last two NCAA Tournaments and three of the previous four under the leadership of coach Bryce Drew.

    As the 12th-seeded Antelopes defeated fifth-seeded Saint Mary’s before losing to Alabama in the tournament this season.

    Saint Mary’s is currently a member of the West Coast Conference.

    The WCC, while also integrating Oregon State and Washington State this autumn (excluding football), will expand from 11 to 13 members by the 2025-26 season.

    The future beyond 2026 looks uncertain, with Oregon State and Washington State appearing unlikely to continue with the WCC.

    The former Pac-12 schools are under a two-year contract, expiring on June 30, 2026. Sources from CBS Sports suggest that the odds of the two Pacific Northwest institutions staying are slim, with a move to the Mountain West or a new conference formation being more probable.

    Following the departures of Sam Houston and New Mexico State last year, Seattle and Grand Canyon’s exit from the WAC will reduce the conference’s membership to just eight by July 2025.

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  2. College Sports News

    Ex-Cal State Fullerton G Max Jones Commits to Kansas State

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Kansas State adds athletic wing in left-handed shooter Max Jones

    Former guard of Cal State Fullerton Max Jones has made a decision to join Kansas State for his upcoming collegiate season, according to reports.

    Notable alternatives that Jones purportedly pondered were New Mexico, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and Loyola Chicago.

    During the previous season with the Titans, Jones maintained an average of 15.3 points and 3.0 rebounds across 24 games, in which he started 21. He secured the second-highest scoring position within the team, alongside being the second in 3-pointers with 42 baskets and 41 steals.

    In the season prior, Jones held an average of 12.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 32 games, amassing 34 three-pointers and 30 steals.

    Before making his way to Cal State Fullerton post the 2021-22 season, Jones spent two years at Division II Tampa, where he managed to achieve an average of 21.9 points across 21 games during his sophomore year with the Spartans.

    In the recent offseason, Kansas State acquired Dug McDaniel, a former player from Michigan recognized as one of the premier point guards available in this year’s transfer portal.

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  3. College Sports News

    Stanford Names Basketball Court in Honor of Tara VanDerveer

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    View From The Top with Tara VanDerveer, Former Coach of Stanford Women’s Basketball

    Tara VanDerveer’s legacy at Stanford will now be visibly acknowledged, with the school revealing on Thursday that the basketball arena’s floor will bear the name of the esteemed Hall of Fame coach.

    At the age of 70, VanDerveer stepped down following her 38th season at the helm of the Cardinal.

    She steered Stanford to 14 Final Fours and secured three national championships (1990, 1992, 2021). VanDerveer embarked on her coaching journey at Idaho (1978-80) and later coached at Ohio State (1980-85).

    In January, she surpassed Mike Krzyzewski to clinch the title of the most successful college basketball coach in history, across both men’s and women’s teams. VanDerveer concluded with a remarkable 1,216-271 record, boasting a 1,064-220 tally with the Cardinal.

    Alongside the unveiling of the Tara VanDerveer Court at Maples Pavilion this November, Stanford also established an endowed position in women’s basketball for an assistant coach in VanDerveer’s honor.

    VanDerveer said in a statement, “This endowment will go a long way to strengthening the future of Stanford women’s basketball. I have many wonderful memories of leading the women’s basketball program at Maples Pavilion.”

    “It’s an honor, and a little surreal, to know that my name will be linked to both in these ways, and I look forward to celebrating with all our fans this fall.”

    Last month, Stanford appointed Kate Paye, one of VanDerveer’s longtime assistant coaches who played for the Cardinal from 1991-95 and began coaching under VanDerveer in 2007, as the new head coach.

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