BYU basketball vs. Omaha, Digi Mart USA News (Provo, Utah): BYU basketball opens the home portion of its schedule by hosting a first-time opponent. The 1-0 Cougars welcome the Omaha Mavericks from the Summit League to the Marriott Center.
Both teams enter the game at 1-0, but those records are not equal. BYU pulled away from Ohio State in its season-opening win at the Delta Center, scoring 60 points in the second half to earn a 94-83 victory.
Star point guard Rob Wright III scored 35 points to kick off his second season at BYU.
The 35-point effort ranks second nationally in scoring to open the season, behind Big 12 player Dior Johnson of UCF, who scored 41. Wright’s total is the third-highest individual scoring output from a Big 12 player so far this season, as Ivan Kharchenkov of Arizona scored 38 in a loss to UCLA.
After a slow start against the Buckeyes, going 1-of-9 from three-point range, BYU finished strong, knocking down 17 of its next attempts. New faces on the BYU roster, Jaxon Kohler, Bruce Branch III, Collin Chandler and Tyler Betsey, all had strong debuts, each scoring in double figures against Ohio State.
Kohler, a fifth-year transfer from Michigan State, had 11 points and five rebounds, while Syracuse transfer Betsey grabbed seven rebounds. Omaha, meanwhile, won a close game against NAIA team Mid America Christian, 73-65.
The Mavericks were led by North Texas transfer Cahmai Crosby, who scored 21 points in his debut.
Omaha faces a demanding stretch, playing at BYU on Friday night and then traveling to Logan on Saturday to face Utah State in the Spectrum. The game can be watched by logging in with television credentials or through ESPN Unlimited.
Radio coverage is available on KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM in Salt Lake City), with online streams at KSL.com and in the KSL Sports and KSL NewsRadio apps.
Jaxon Kohler and Tyler Betsey lead BYU in rebounding at 7.0 per game. Chris Crutchfield is in his fifth season as head coach at Omaha.
