As BYU inches closer to becoming a lock for the Big Dance, the Cougars must improve their defense and free-throw shooting to have a strong finish, coach Kevin Young said.

The Cougars are excelling because of open 3a and money-ball shots at the rim as produced by Saunders, Keba Keita and Fouss Traore. Keita has been averaging close to 85% from the field in the past few games.

After BYU's 77-56 victory over West Virginia on Saturday night, head coach Kevin Young claimed that BYU was "not a one-trick pony."

WVU basketball tried to pick its poison against BYU Saturday night, ultimately falling to the Cougars after a disastrous second half. When game-planning for the Cougars, WVU coach Darian DeVries knew his Mountaineers wouldn’t be able to completely shut down the second-highest scoring offense in the Big 12.

The BYU-West Virginia meeting on Saturday was two types of games in one. The second type of game was the right one for the Cougars. For most of the first half, the Mountaineers had BYU right where they wanted them: In a physical,

Wednesday night’s matchup against Arizona State was a homecoming of sorts for coach Kevin Young. This road trip for the Cougars ... The Cougars will return home to take on West Virginia on Saturday with a chance to extend their win streak to six games.

No. 25 BYU is all but certain of an NCAA Tournament berth. West Virginia needs every win it can get down the stretch to join the Cougars and probably six other Big 12 Conference schools on the March dance floor. The Mountaineers search for one of those wins Saturday night when they visit Provo, Utah, for a conference matchup with BYU.