alt=Jeff CallSALT LAKE CITY — For BYU first-year coach Mark Pope, this marks the first time he’s facing archrival Utah as the Cougars’ head coach.
As a BYU assistant coach from 2011-15, Pope went up against the Utes a number of times and a few years ago, as the head coach at Utah Valley University, he brought his team to the Huntsman Center, where the Wolverines fell 87-80.
So Pope understands this rivalry and he relishes these games.
“This is like going out to the backyard with your brother and slugging it out. It’s the best.” — BYU men’s basketball coach Mark Pope
“This is like going out to the backyard with your brother and slugging it out. It’s the best,” he said. “People in the state care about it, players care about it and coaches care about. All of us walk into the game angry and hungry and terrified all at the same time. You can’t ask for anything better. You look forward to these every year.”
BYU (6-3) and Utah (5-2) square off Wednesday (6 p.m., MST, Pac-12 Network) at the Huntsman Center.
The last time the Cougars played here, in December 2015, BYU guard Nick Emery threw a punch at Brandon Taylor with 1:44 remaining in the Utes’ 83-75 win. Emery was whistled for a flagrant 2 foul for fighting and was ejected.
The following year, the two teams didn’t play as Utah requested a hiatus in the series, interrupting the longstanding rivalry for the first time since 1944, when World War II shortened the season.
The series resumed in 2017. BYU has won the past two meetings, 77-65 in Provo in 2017; and 74-59 last season at Vivint Arena. The Cougars lead the all-time series, 131-128.
BYU seniors Jake Toolson and Zac Seljaas are the only players on the roster that played in that game four years ago at the Huntsman Center.
“This game is really important to both programs, to all the fans,” Toolson said. “You can throw everything that you think is going to happen out the window and you’ve got to be ready to fight for 40 minutes. We’re really excited for the chance. We’ve just got to be ready to battle. It’s going to be really fun.”
What makes this showdown even more special for the Cougars is that it will be forward Yoeli Childs’ season debut after being sidelined for the first nine games of the season due to an NCAA suspension.
“I haven’t played the Utes up there. But I’m expecting it to be crazy,” said Childs, who scored 31 points against Utah a year ago. “I’m expecting a lot of energy. That’s what college basketball is about. A rivalry on the road? It doesn’t get better than that.”
Pope knows Wednesday’s game will be a battle against the Utes. Timmy Allen is averaging a team-high 19.4 points per game while Both Gach is averaging 12.9.
“They have a really talented backcourt,” he said. “Timmy is playing at an elite level. Gach could be a lottery pick. He’s so talented and long.”
Pope also praised guard Rylan Jones. “He’s really young but super smart,” he said. “He’s got the IQ of a seventh-year grad senior.”
Of Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak, Pope said, “He’s a great coach. What he’s done at Utah has been tremendous. I have a ton of respect for him. Those are the guys you want to compete against.”
Even though BYU and Utah haven’t played in the same conference since 2010-11, the way Pope sees it, these in-state rivalry games still carry a lot of importance.
“They’re the best thing. Everyone is on edge and intense. If you lose the game, you hear about it for a year and it’s just miserable,” he said. “And if you win the game, you own the deal. It’s awesome. It might be the most fiercely competitive game we play all year — the most personal game.
“There’s nothing better than walking into a hostile arena, knowing that it’s just your 15 guys against the whole world. That’s what it feels like,” Pope added. “Some people might say Utah fans are a lot of different things. But I think it’s awesome — rowdy and energetic and crazy and ferocious and dying to win. Probably in some people, something bordering on pure malice and hate, right? And that’s awesome. These are the gyms you dream about playing in and these are the games you think about all of the time. It’s probably the best thing you get to do in the regular season, to play these games. And it’s really hard to win them. That makes them special, too, because win or lose, you walk out of there and if you do it right you learn a lot. We’re super excited.”
BYU (6-3) at Utah (5-2)
Wednesday, 6 p.m. MST
Huntsman Center
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: KSL 1160 AM, 102.7 FM