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TCU (19-9) will face the 20-8 BYU Cougars on Saturday at the Marriott Center, marking the first time BYU will host the Frogs since 2011, and their first meeting in the Big 12 Conference.

Gameday! #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/61wsru8OxS

— TCU Men's Basketball (@TCUBasketball) March 2, 2024

The Frogs are currently 5-4 on the road this season and are coming off a tough loss to the No. 15 Baylor Bears, falling 62-54. TCU struggled against Baylor’s zone defense, resulting in their lowest-scoring game of the season.

TCU trailed by two at halftime, but Baylor’s 9-0 run in the second half sealed the game. Head coach Jamie Dixon attributed their loss to poor decision-making, missed open shots and excessive ball penetration.

Emanuel Miller leads the Frogs and is tied sixth in the conference with 15.0 points per game. TCU leads the nation with 19.1 fastbreak points per game and tops the Big 12 in the shortest offensive possession length at 15.8 seconds.

Back on the road to Provo#GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/JqPqIZve86

— TCU Men's Basketball (@TCUBasketball) March 2, 2024

BYU enters this matchup fresh off an impressive win over No. 7 Kansas, ending the Jayhawks’ 19-game home winning streak. Trailing by one with just over four minutes remaining, BYU rallied with crucial plays from Jaxson Robinson and Dallin Hall to secure the victory.

The Cougars boast the league’s highest-scoring offense at 82.6 points per game, ranking 20th in the NCAA, with Robinson leading the team with 14.1 points per game.

BYU leads the all-time series 19-3, with TCU dropping the last 16 meetings. Their most recent encounter was on March 10, 2011, in the Mountain West Conference quarterfinals, where the Cougars claimed a 64-58 victory.

These two teams will square off tonight in Provo, Utah. Tip-off is at 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

Coming off a bounce-back win over Houston on senior night, BYU faces the highest-ranked opponent of the Whiting era as the Cougars take on the No. 3 Texas Longhorns on Saturday night at the Moody Center.

Date March 01, 2024 Author Austin Rustand

PROVO, Utah — Coming off a bounce-back win over Houston on senior night, BYU faces the highest-ranked opponent of the Whiting era as the Cougars take on the No. 3 Texas Longhorns on Saturday night at the Moody Center.

Matchup Breakdown

BYU and Texas have met six times in series history with the Longhorns winning each of the first five meetings. The Cougars earned their first win over Texas in the most recent meeting on Nov. 22, 2002, as BYU knocked off the 12th-ranked Longhorns at the Marriott Center in Provo, 79-63.

All-Time: 1-5

In Provo: 1-2

In Austin: 0-3

At Neutral Site: 0-0

BYU Cougars (16-14, 6-11 Big 12 Conference)

THE STARTING GUARD LINE IS CRUCIAL: BYU’s starting guard line is the silver bullet for the team’s success. As the guard line goes, the Cougars go. In BYU’s 16 wins this season, the starting guard line of Amari Whiting, Kailey Woolston and Kaylee Smiler combine for 34.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 4.1 steals and 1.7 blocks.

In the 12 losses, the Cougar guard line’s stat line decreases in every category as the three combine for just 27.7 points (-6.9), 8.5 rebounds (-4.3), 9.7 assists (-0.9), 3.1 steals (-0.2), 1.5 blocks (-0.3).

MAGIC NUMBER...66 POINTS OR LESS: Coach Whiting prides her team on their ability to defend. Her defense has held opponents to 65.4 points per game this season and 16 of its 30 opponents to 66 or fewer points. When holding teams under the 66-point threshold, BYU is 15-1. When surrendering over 66 points, the Cougars are 1-13 on the year.

THE MORE YOU SCORE, THE MORE YOU WIN: In 2022-23, BYU only scored more than 65 points in 15 of 33 games and garnered a 12-3 record when doing so. The Cougars have exceeded the 65-point threshold in 19 of 30 games this season and hold a 12-7 record when scoring 65 or more.

TURNOVER TROUBLE: Ball security is key to the Cougars’ success, however, BYU averages 16.9 turnovers per game this season. The Cougs have turned the ball over more than their opponent in all but six games this season and hold a 26-25 record when posting a negative turnover margin under Whiting. In Big 12 play, the Cougars turnover the rock 15.4 times per game and have given up 17.6 points off turnovers.

Head Coach – Amber Whiting

No. 3 Texas Longhorns (26-4, 13-4 Big 12 Conference)

OLD FRIENDS REUNITE AS OPPONENTS: Shaylee Gonzales played for the Cougars from 2019-2022, earning all-conference honors in back-to-back seasons. She was named the 2021-22 WCC Player of the Year, Second-team All-American by the Athletic and AP All-America Honorable Mention.

The grad transfer has started all 30 games in her second season as a Longhorn and has contributed 9.7 points per game, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals.

MADISON BOOKER: The true freshman has stepped up in a major way for the Longhorns in the absence of their All-Conference guard Rori Harman who has missed the last 18 games after suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Booker has earned six Big 12 weekly awards, twice being named the conference Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week four times. She was named to the Wooden Award Top 20, Naismith Award Top 30 and Cheryl Miller Award Top 10. The highly-touted freshman is Texas’ leading scorer with 16.4 points per game, 5.0 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals. Her stats against opponents are even more staggering as she has dropped 21.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.6 assists.

OWNING THE GLASS: The Longhorns have dominated the boards this season, out-rebounding their opponents in 26 of 30 games and averaging 40.5 boards with a rebound margin of 10.8 which ranks fifth in the country.

EFFICIENT FROM THE FLOOR: Texas holds the fifth-highest field goal percentage in the NCAA at 50.2 percent from the field. Their 82.4 points per game is the 8th-best mark nationally. At home, the Longhorns score 85.7 points per contest while shooting an astounding 49.9 percent from the floor and 34 percent from behind the arc.

NO HARMON, NO PROBLEM: Not having the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year would normally be a huge hit to a team, but Texas has gone 14-4 in the absence of Harmon. Booker’s game took a leap forward, increasing her production by 3.7 points per game, 1.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists since Harmon’s injury.

Head Coach – Vic Schaefer

Two fifth place, 8-7 teams in the Big 12 will face off in the Marriott Center Saturday night coming off completely different games. TCU had their lowest scoring output of the season in a 62-54 home loss to Baylor while BYU handed Kansas its first home loss of the year. The winner of this game will improve their tournament resume and get a leg up in Big 12 tournament seeding. This is a Quad Two game for BYU and a Quad One for TCU. BYU opened most places as a 5.5-point favorite.

BYU and TCU by the Numbers

TCU Record: 19-9 (8-7 Big 12)

KenPom: 29

NET: 38

Best Wins: Oklahoma (H), Houston (H), Oklahoma State (A), Baylor (A), Texas Tech (H), Kansas State (A), Cincinnati (H)

Losses: Clemson (N), Nevada (N), Kansas (A), Cincinnati (A), Iowa State (H), Texas (H), Iowa State (A), Texas Tech (A), Baylor (A)

BYU KenPom: 15

Net: 10

Record: 20-8 (8-7)

Best Wins: San Diego State (H), NC State (N), Arizona State (N), UCF (A), Iowa State (H), Texas (H), Kansas State (H), UCF (H), Baylor (H), Kansas (A)

Losses: Utah (A), Cincinnati (H), Baylor (A), Texas Tech (A), Houston (H), Oklahoma (A), Oklahoma State (A), Kansas State (A)

TCU Overview

TCU has been solid on the road this season with an overall 5-4 mark in true road games and 3-4 in Big 12 play. All three of their Big 12 road games came at places BYU lost — Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State — and they had one-possession road losses at Kansas and Texas and an OT loss at Cincinnati. A 12-point loss at Iowa State was the only road loss by more than 4 points.

TCU is the third most experienced team in the nation, according to KenPom, and regularly play eight seniors in their rotation.

Transition offense is one of the main things that sticks out about TCU. They lead the nation in fast break points per game with 19.1, well ahead of the next team at 16.5. BYU’s offense for context averages 13.2 fastbreak points. TCU has a deep stable of guards and wings that can push the ball and attack the rim. TCU is the second best 3-point shooting in the Big 12 with a 37.4% mark in conference, but their 3-point attempt percentage is the third lowest in the league and not much higher than Kansas. TCU has some big wings and looks to attack the paint.

Defensively, TCU has been middle of the pack in Big 12 play. They have the third best turnover percentage in the Big 12, but are 10th in defensive effective field goal percentage. 6-11 big man is their best rim protector and starting center, but he has missed the past 3 games with injury. His status for Saturday is worth monitoring — TCU doesn’t play anyone else taller than 6-foot-9.

Players to Watch

Emmanuel Miller, Forward — Miller is one of the top players in the Big 12. In many ways he is a cross between Arthur Kaluma and KJ Adams, two players who have given BYU troubles. Miller is 6-foot-7, 215 pounds and primarily plays the 3 and 4 spots. He has strength similar to Adams but can shoot and score more similar to Kaluma. The fifth-year senior averages 16 points, 6 boards, and 3 assists on 49% shooting from the floor and 41% from three. Miller will be handful for BYU to contain.

Jameer Nelson Jr., Guard — Yes, he’s the son of that Jameer Nelson. Nelson is a defensive menace averaging over 2 steals per game and 12th nationally in steals percentage. He is second on the team with 3.1 assists per game and averages 11 points on 27% shooting from three. Nelson has one game in Big 12 play with more than 14 points, which was a 30-point performance at Baylor in triple OT.

Micah Peavy, Guard/Wing — At 6-foot-8 Peavy is a versatile wing that can play spots 2 through 4. He is second on the team in scoring with 11.2 ppg to go along with 5 boards and 48% shooting from the field. He shoots 31% from three and 59% from the foul line, but gets most of his points from inside the arc.

Trevian Tennyson, Guard — BYU was in the final three for the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi transfer, and TCU ended up with one of the best three-point shooters in the Big 12. Tennyson averages 9 points and shoots 42% from three on just under 5 attempts per game. Some Big 12 teams have exposed him on defense, but he can light it up from the outside.

Avery Anderson, Guard — Another talented guard, Anderson was a three-year starter at Oklahoma State before transferring to TCU. He leads the team with 3.6 assists and averages 1.4 assists to form a backcourt with Jameer Nelson that can force turnovers. Anderson averages 8.6 points on 44% shooting and 31% from three.

Prediction

TCU is good. They can win on the road and Emmanuel Miller could give BYU fits with his physicality and overall skill. Guys like Richie Saunders, Spencer Johnson, Noah Waterman, and Jaxson Robinson will have a tough assignment.

This spot screams letdown for BYU, but I think being at home is the safety net BYU needs. If Udeh is unable to go, that should mean a big game for Fouss. TCU’s other fives are not overly physical and could have a hard time matching up. Even if Udeh can go, he would guard Aly a lot on the perimeter, something is not super comfortable with, and Fouss would get a lot of minutes versus the reserves.

TCU I think bounces back from arguably their worst game of the season and is a good road team, but I think BYU’s advantage at the five spot and home court advantage are enough to avoid a letdown.

Prediction: BYU 82, TCU 79

During an upcoming renovation, the 52-year-old Provo Utah Temple will not only be redesigned and reconstructed, but will also be renamed.

Four days before the temple’s closure for reconstruction, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced on Tuesday, Feb. 20, that the Provo Utah Temple will be renamed the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple.

The name stems from its retained location at the mouth of Rock Canyon on Provo’s eastern bench, overlooking the city, Utah Lake and the expansive Utah Valley. And the name helps differentiate even more between two houses of the Lord located in Provo just 2.4 miles apart.

With its planned reconstruction including a major redesign and extensive exterior overhaul, the long-time Provo temple will close at the end of the day on Saturday, Feb. 24.

The name-change announcement was first published on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

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Provo temple from dedication to planned reconstruction

Dedicated on Feb. 9, 1972, the Provo Utah Temple proved to be one of the Church’s busiest locations — not just as Utah County’s first and longest-operating temple but also with its proximity to both Brigham Young University and the Provo Missionary Training Center, with missionaries at the latter attending the temple weekly.

On March 20, 2016, the Church dedicated its Provo City Center Temple, built from the fire-gutted frame of the old Provo Tabernacle and named for its central site in the namesake city.

After identifying 13 locations for new temples in his concluding remarks at the October 2021 general conference, Church President Russell M. Nelson also announced the “reconstruction of the Provo Utah Temple after the Orem Utah Temple is dedicated.”

In November 2021, the Church released an exterior rendering of the redesigned Provo temple.

On June 20, 2023, the Church announced early 2024 dates for both temples — the Jan. 21 dedication of the Orem temple and the Feb. 24 closure date for the Provo temple.

Provo temple makeover similar to Ogden temple

The extreme makeover will be similar to that of its sister sacred edifice, the Ogden Utah Temple, which a decade ago underwent a major renovation and architectural change.

The Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple will be built to current seismic codes and have reconfigured rooms and energy-efficient electrical, heating and plumbing systems.

Temples in Utah

The two Provo temples are among the 28 total in Utah, which is home to the Church’s worldwide headquarters and nearly 2.2 million Latter-day Saints.

Utah’s dedicated and currently operating temples are the Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Draper, Jordan River, Logan, Manti, Monticello, Mount Timpanogos, Ogden, Oquirrh Mountain, Orem, Payson, Provo, Provo City Center, Saratoga Springs, St. George and Vernal temples.

The Red Cliffs Utah Temple in St. George is scheduled to be dedicated on Sunday, March 24; the Taylorsville Utah Temple on Sunday, June 2; and the Layton Utah Temple on Sunday, June 16.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints announced Tuesday that when the Provo Utah Temple reopens, it’ll be known as the Provo Utah Rock Canyon Temple.

The Provo Utah Temple will close on Saturday for renovation.

For over 50 years, missionaries at the Provo Utah Missionary Training Center, students, staff and faculty at Brigham Young University and Provo community members have performed sacred ordinances at the Provo Utah Temple. The temple is where members of the Church of Jesus Christ can go to worship God and make promises to God.

Temples, also known as the House of the Lord, are built all across the world.

The Provo Utah Temple is located at the mouth of Rock Canyon on Provo’s east bench. The view from the temple overlooks the city of Provo as well as BYU. It was the sixth temple built in Utah. Provo is home to another temple known as the Provo City Center Temple.

The temple was first dedicated on Feb. 9, 1972. The architect Emil B. Fetzer also designed other temples including Ogden Utah, Atlanta Georgia, Jordan River and Santiago Chile.

President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote the dedicatory prayer, which President Harold B. Lee offered.

“Thou knowest, O Father, that we these blessings, not only for ourselves and our descendants, but also for our forebears; for thou hast said that we, as saviors on Mount Zion, have power to save and redeem our worthy dead,” Smith said in the prayer. “We seek so to do, and we plead for thy guidance and directing light as we go forward in this work — one of the greatest ever revealed to the children of men in any age of the earth.”

The dedicatory prayer also referenced the importance of the temple’s location near the school. “Let that great temple of learning, the Brigham Young University, and all that is associated with it, and all other Church schools, institutes, and seminaries be prospered to the full. Let thy enlightening power rest upon those who teach and those who are taught, that they may ‘seek learning, even by study and also by faith,’” President Smith said.

Throughout the course of its open house, 246,201 people visited the temple, the Church News reported. One of the key moments in the temple’s history occurred in 1976, when according to LDS Living, the Provo Utah Temple broke a record with 76,000 endowments in a single month.

President Russell M. Nelson announced the reconstruction of the Provo Utah Temple in his October 2021 general conference talk. He said it would occur after the Orem Utah Temple was dedicated.

“As I emphasized this morning, please make time for the Lord in His holy house,” President Nelson said during his concluding remarks. “Nothing will strengthen your spiritual foundation like temple service and temple worship.”