BYU Plays at Colorado State Saturday

After five straight home games, BYU returns to the road while making its first away trip of the Mountain West Conference season to Colorado State and Wyoming. BYU takes a six-game winning streak into its game at CSU Saturday. The Cougars (13-4, 2-0 MWC) play the Rams (9-5, 0-1 MWC) at 7 p.m. in Moby Arena. The two teams split the season series last year, both winning at home. The game is being televised by SportsWest Productions on KSL, channel 5, in Salt Lake City. The game can be heard on KSL Newsradio 1160 with Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant calling the action on the Cougar Sports Network.

Up Next

BYU will face the Wyoming Cowboys in Laramie, Wyo., Monday at 7 p.m. The game is being televised by SportsWest Productions (KSL-TV, channel 5, in Salt Lake City). The Cougars will then have a week before hosting instate rival Utah at home in a 10 p.m. ESPN Big Monday tip.

Game 18 Fast Facts (MWC Game 3)

Teams:

Brigham Young University Cougars (13-4, 2-0 MWC)

Colorado State University Rams (9-5, 0-1 MWC)

Date: Saturday, Jan. 20, 2001

Site: Fort Collins, Colo.

Arena:Moby Arena (8,745)

Time: 7 p.m. MST

Series:

BYU leads, 71-41

Last Meeting: BYU lost at CSU, 68-54 (Feb. 24, 2000)

Last Year: Both teams won at home.

Coaches:

BYU, Steve Cleveland (56-52 in fourth year; same overall)

CSU, Dale Layer (9-5 in first year; 177-92 in 10th year overall)

TV:

SportsWest Productions (KSL-TV in SLC)

Play-by-Play - Tom Kirkland

Game Analyst - Craig Hislop

(Telstar 7 Transponder K17)

Radio:

KSL Newsradio 1160 AM (Cougar Sports Network)

Pregame Air Time - 6:30 p.m. MST

Play-by-Play - Greg Wrubell

Game Analyst - Mark Durrant

BYU's Probable Starters:

Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG

F 2 Travis Hansen 6-6 210 So. 6.2 3.0

F 25 Eric Nielsen 6-9 215 Jr. 6.8 4.5

F 15 Mekeli Wesley 6-9 240 Sr. 15.5 5.4

G 24 Terrell Lyday 6-3 195 Sr. 16.0 2.8

G 21 Trent Whiting 6-1 185 Sr. 16.3 2.2

CSU's Probable Starters:

Pos. # Name Ht. Wt. Yr. PPG RPG

F 44 David Fisher 6-10 230 Sr. 12.3 3.6

F 33 Brian Greene 6-8 225 So. 8.0 6.3

F 40 Garrett Patik 6-7 240 Sr. 7.9 5.6

G 10 Aki Palmer 5-10 170 Sr. 7.4 2.5

G 32 John Sivesind 6-3 200 Sr. 12.4 2.6

Scouting CSU

Colorado State (9-5, 0-1) returns four starters and eight lettermen from last year's 18-12 team that finished tied for fourth in the Mountain West Conference. The Rams are under the direction of first-year head coach Dale Layer and are off to a 9-5 start. CSU opened the conference season at home vs. rival Wyoming and suffered a 70-69 overtime defeat. CSU started the year with five straight wins before losing four of the next five. The Rams won thier final three non-conference games before the overtime loss to Wyoming to open league play. Ram wins include Washington State (78-64), Denver (80-53) and Northeastern (63-52). CSU is 5-2 at home, 0-2 in away games and 4-1 at a neutral site. In addition to Wyoming, CSU other home loss was to Austin Peay State (74-72). The Rams have not lost back-to-back home games since the 1992-93 season. The Rams are an experienced team and have four seniors starting, including guard John Sivesind at 12.4 ppg and forward David Fisher at 12.3 ppg. Senior guard Ron Grady has eight starts but has been coming off the bench to add 10.8 points. Sophomore forward Brian Greene pulls down a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per game while senior forward Garrett Patik adds 5.6. The Rams grab six more boards per game than their opponents. CSU scores 74.3 points while giving up 69.0. The Rams are a great shooting team, making 50.1 percent overall and 43.7 percent from three-point range.

Series History

This will be the 113th meeting between the two schools. BYU leads the series 71-41. Both teams won at home last year, with CSU winning the last meeting on Feb. 24, 2000 in Fort Collins, 68-54. BYU won in in Provo, 68-47. ) CSU has won seven of the last eight games and eight of the last 12 games dating back to the 1993-94 season. BYU's last victory in Fort Collins was a 72-70 overtime win in 1993-94. BYU coach Steve Cleveland is 1-3 against Colorado State with both two losses during his first season in 1997-98 and one last year. The series dates back to 1938.

Comparing Statistics

BYU CSU

SCORING

Points per game 73.6 74.3

Scoring margin + 11.6 + 10.5

SHOOTING PERCENTAGES

Field goals .469 .501

3-pointers .382 .437

Free throws .774 .678

REBOUNDING

Rebounds per game 34.5 35.9

Rebounding margin + 1.6 + 6.0

ASSISTS

Assists per game 13.8 17.6

TURNOVERS

Turnovers per game 14.9 16.2

Turnover margin + 1.4 - 0.7

STEALS

Steals per game 6.3 6.9

BLOCKS

Blocks per game 3.2 2.0

CSU Quick Facts:

General Info

Location: Fort Collins, Colo.

Founded: 1870

Enrollment: 22,600

Nickname: Rams

Colors: Green and Gold

Home Arena: Moby Arena

Conference: Mountain West

Athletic Director: Tim Weiser

Basketball Info

Head Coach: Dale Layer

Alma Mater: Eckerd College, 1980

Office Phone: 970-491-6232

Overall Record (Years): 177-92 (10th year)

Record at School (Years): 9-5 (first year)

Assistant Coaches: Bill Perkins, Bill Peterson, Buzz Williams

1999-2000

Overall Record: 18-12

Conf. Record/Finish: 8-6/4th-tie

Final Ranking/Post Season Finish:N/A

2000-2001

Lettermen Returning/Lost: 8/4

Starters Returning/Lost: 4/1

Returning Starters

Ron Grady, 6-3, 185, Sr., G

Aki Palmer, 5-10, 170, Sr., G

Garrett Patik, 6-7, 210, Sr., F

John Sivesind, 6-3, 195, Sr., G

Media Relations

Basketball Contact: Gary Ozello

Office: 970-491-5067

Home: 970-493-5574

E-mail: ramsid@lamar.colostate.edu

Fax: 970-491-1348

Press Row: 970-491-3981

Website: www.csurams.com

BYU TEAM NOTES

BYU Opened MWC Play with 79-50 Win Over San Diego State Saturday

PROVO -- The BYU men's basketball team, led by senior guard Terrell Lyday, soundly defeated a much-improved San Diego State Aztec team in front of a loud crowd at the Marriott Center. The final score of 79-50 totaled a 29 point victory for BYU, the second highest margin of victory for the Cougars during the 2000-2001 campaign. "We just got a good old fashioned whipping today," said San Diego State coach Steve Fisher. "They were very good. We gave them a few easy shots in the beginning and then they just took over from there. We couldn't stop them." The Cougars utilized a hot hand from the perimeter, shooting 13 for 26 from the three point arc, to hand the Aztecs their second conference loss in as many games. The 13 three point field goals made by BYU tied a Cougar record set against LSU in 1992 and TCU in 1999. Specifically, Lyday and Trent Whiting found the range early and often, shooting a combined 10 for 14 on 3 point field goals. The prolific starting backcourt for BYU of Lyday (15 ppg) and Whiting (15 ppg) scored 24 and 17 points respectively, as Lyday just missed a season high in only 22 minutes of action. He scored 25 in a game against Boise State at the Yahoo Sports Invitational. BYU coach Steve Cleveland cited the layoff between games as an asset for the Cougars in preparing for the Saturday afternoon Mountain West Conference opener. "Four or five days to prepare for a game does make a difference, especially offensively," Cleveland said. "Our preparation for tonight was the difference. We made baskets tonight and we defended well and when you do that, it is fun to watch." Two-time MWC Player of the Week, Robert Holcomb was held in check by the Cougars stifling defense. Holcomb scored 13 points, almost 5 points below his season average. Cleveland commented on the defensive effort his team put forth. "The guys who played the first 30 minutes played very well," Cleveland said. "We defended well and had lots of energy and that is what it is going to take to win."Mekeli Wesley, BYU's senior forward and leading scorer (16.0 ppg), switched roles for the win. Wesley dished out a season high 5 assists, just one short of his career high. Freshman forward Jacob Chrisman also enjoyed career high of eight rebounds to contribute to the Cougar victory.

BYU Runs Past UNLV, 91-63, on ESPN Big Monday

PROVO -- In a game that saw four different Cougars score in double figures, including a season-high 26 points from Trent Whiting, BYU enjoyed its biggest win ever over the UNLV, 91-63, in a late Monday night nationally televised game at the Marriott Center. Hot shooting combined with tough defense helped the Cougars to the win over last year's Mountain West Conference Champions. BYU shot over 50 percent from behind the three-point line for the second game in a row, going 6 for 11. BYU also shot 56 percent from the field and 85 percent from the free throw line. On defense, the Cougars held UNLV's top scorer, Kaspars Kambala, to two points, more than 16 below his season average. Dalron Johnson had 24 points for the Rebels and Sylvester Dotson added 12. "It was the best basketball we've played here in four years against a quality team," said BYU coach Steve Cleveland. "Tonight, Las Vegas did not play well, but I'd like to think we had a lot to do with that. We defended and executed well and I really like the flow in the last seven games. Our defense was the best since we've been here." In addition to Whiting's 26, Terrell Lyday scored 23, including 3 for 3 from three-point land and a couple of thrilling dunks. Mekeli Wesley and Eric Nielsen were the other Cougars in double figures, scoring 14 and 12, respectively. "Trent's play tonight was phenomenal," said Cleveland. "But everybody stepped up and it brought us a lot of confidence. We had the energy tonight and we also had the luxury of playing at home. We also had the luxury of having a great crowd, that was really important." BYU set the tone early, starting the game on a 10-0 run, before the Runnin' Rebels came back and scored five in a row. But, that was as close as UNLV would get as the Cougars came back and to score 45 first-half points and go up by 19 points at the break.

BYU Now .500 or Better Against All MWC Teams

With Monday's win over UNLV, BYU evened its series with the Rebels at 5-5. BYU now has a .500 winning percentage or better against all seven Mountain West Conference opponents. BYU has a winning record against five teams an even slate against two. In addition to UNLV, the MWC member BYU has played the least (10 games), BYU also has a .500 record against Utah, the team it has played the most (228 games).

BYU In the polls

BYU received seven votes (35th) in the latest ESPN/USA Today Top 25 poll. Utah was the only MWC team to receive votes in the latest Associated Press poll (3 votes, 49th).

Sagarin Ratings

BYU had the top MWC rating according to the Jan. 16 Sagarin Ratings. The Cougars are ranked 58th with an 81.46 rating. The records below reflect Division I games.

Rk Team Rating Record

58 BYU 80.46 13-4

T70 Utah 80.03 8-6

T70 Wyo 80.03 10-4

75 UNM 79.76 11-2

104 UNLV 75.92 8-7

116 CSU 74.91 7-5

127 SDSU 73.89 9-6

241 AFA 64.56 5-8

College RPI ratings

BYU had the top RPI rating overall among MWC teams according to the Jan. 15 CollegeRPI.com ratings computed by Jerry Palm and the Collegiate Basketball News. The Mountain West Conference is rated 10th among the 32 conferences (and five independents) in the country.

Team CBN/CollegeRPI.com

BYU 63/58

UNM 61/68

Utah 68/75

Wyo 82/71

UNLV 109/102

SDSU 123/119

CSU 134/115

AFA 215/223

BYU In the conference Stats

4th -- Scoring Offense 77.6

2nd -- Scoring Margin +11.6

2nd -- Field Goal Percentage .469

3rd -- 3-Field Goal Percentage .382

1st -- Free Throw Percentage .774

7th -- Rebounding 34.5

4th -- Rebounding Margin + 1.6

2nd -- Scoring Defense 61.9

2nd -- FG Percentage Defense .393

2nd -- 3-FG Percentage Defense .284

5th -- Blocked Shots 3.24

6th -- Assists 13.82

8th -- Steals 6.29

BYU players In the conference Stats

Scoring Lyday 5th, Wesley 6h

FT % Lyday and Wesley, T5th

Rebounds Wesley, 10th

Assists Montague, 5th

Steals Montague, 7th

3-FG % Lyday, 8th

Blocks Wesley, 7th

BYU In the National Stats

1st -- Free Throw Percentage 77.4

22nd -- Scoring Defense 61.9

T10th -- Winning Streak 6 games

T10th -- Home Winning Streak 15 games

BYU is Nation's Top Free Throw Shooting Team

BYU is ranked first in the nation in free throw percentage in the latest NCAA statistics released Tuesday. The Cougars are shooting 77.4 (340-439) percent as a team. Nine players are shooting 70 percent or better, including three better than 80 percent (Wesley, Lyday, Bobik) and one better than 90 percent (Knight). Dan Howard is a perfect 2-2.

Three-game Three-Fest for Lyday

Named the MWC Player of the Week Monday, Terrell Lyday is coming off his best three-game stretch of the season. He averaged 22 points in the three wins and has been on target from long range making 11-15 treys in the stretch, including 8-9 in the last two games. He scored a game-high 24 points while making 5-6 three-pointers in BYU's win over San Diego State and was 3-3 on treys while scoring 23 points vs. UNLV. He had a team-high 19 points vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and was 3-6 on threes.

Cougars Equal Long Range Mark

The Cougars made 13 three-point field goals vs. SDSU to equal a BYU record set against LSU in 1992 and TCU in 1999. The Cougars attempted 26 three point field goals, a season high.

Offense, Offense, Offense

BYU has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in the last two games and five times this year, all wins. Four of the five games were in the Marriott Center. The one road game BYU shot over 50 percent was vs. Boise State (53.3 percent) during the Yahoo! Sports Invitational in Hawaii. The Cougars' hot shooting has helped them average 85 points in its two MWC wins. BYU is second in the MWC in field goal percentage, behind CSU. BYU has scored 40 or more points in the first half of the last four games while holding their opponents to less than 30 points. BYU has outscored the opponents at half by and average of 44.5 - 23.5 in those games.

Defense, Defense, Defense

BYU is ranked 22nd in the nation in scoring defense (61.9 points allowed) and has had success shutting down the opponent's top player. BYU held UNLV center Kaspars Kambala, averaging 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds entering the game, to two points and three rebounds Monday. Against SDSU, Aztec star forward Randy Holcomb was the only player to reach double figures, but BYU held the two-time MWC Player of the Week winner to 13 points, almost five points below his team-leading season scoring average. BYU has held its last five opponents under 40 percent shooting.

On the Boards

BYU has out rebounded its opponents in each of the last five games. BYU had 37 rebounds vs. UNLV and grabbed 40 or more rebounds in the four prior games. BYU has totaled 40 or more boards six times this year. The Cougars are averaging 34.5 rebounds per game while out boarding their opponents by 1.6 rebounds per game. Mekeli Wesley pulls down a team-best 5.4 boards per game, 10th best in the MWC entering the week.

Whiting Adds Third Threat to Cougar Attack

In addition to last year's one-two scoring punch of Mekeli Wesley and Terrell Lyday, BYU has another potent scorer in transfer Trent Whiting. He scored a career-high 26 points while going 10-15 from the field and 3-6 on treys vs. UNLV. He had 17 points vs. SDSU. Monday he extended his string of consecutive double-digit points games to 10. A transfer from Utah, he has reached double figures in each game he has played since becoming eligible to play on Dec. 16 vs. Utah State. He is now leading the Cougars in scoring at 26.3 points while shooting 48.7 percent from the floor, 39.7 percent on threes, and 77.4 percent from the line.

Whiting, Knight Made Strong BYU Debuts

Transfer players Trent Whiting (Utah) and Nate Knight (Kentucky) made their Cougar debuts Dec. 16 vs. Utah State after sitting out the first seven games of the year because of transfer rules. Whiting scored a game-high 22 points on 7-11 shooting, including 4-7 threes, in a team-high 39 minutes in his debut while Knight made a solid contribution with five points and six rebounds in 18 minutes. Neither player had played in a game for more than a year since transferring last fall.

BYU's record when . . .

BYU leads at half 11-2

Opponent leads at half 2-2

Score tied at half 0-0

BYU leads with 5 minutes left 12-1

Opponent leads with 5 min. left 1-3

BYU leads with 1 minute left 12-0

Opponent leads with 1 min. left 1-4

Score tied with 1 minute left 0-0

Game goes into overtime 0-0

BYU out rebounds opponent 8-0

Opponent out rebounds BYU 4-4

BYU and opponent tie in rebounds 1-0

BYU shoots 50 % or better 5-0

Opponent shoots 50 % or better 0-3

BYU out shoots opponent 13-1

Opponent out shoots BYU 0-3

BYU scores 70 or more 8-2

BYU scores less than 70 5-2

Opponent scores 70 or more 1-4

Opponent scores less than 70 12-0

Cleveland's Record

Steve Cleveland is now 56-52 overall in his fourth year, having improved the Cougars in each year since taking over a 1-25 program. With BYU's win over Idaho on Jan. 2 Cleveland went above a .500 winning percentage for the first time since going 1-0 with a win in his first game at San Diego State in 1997. He had evened his winning percentage at .500 twice this year. He went to 50-50 with a win over Boise State in Hawaii before the Cougars suffered back-to-back close defeats to ranked teams. Wins at Weber State and vs. South Alabama brought his record to 52-52 before BYU's last four wins.

Cleveland's Record in Conference Openers

After defeating SDSU last week, Cleveland is 3-1 in conference openers at BYU. The Cougars defeating Tulsa on the road in 1997-98 and lost at Utah in 1998-99 before last year's win at UNLV. This year BYU began league play at home for the first time under Cleveland.

Cleveland vs. CSU

Cleveland has a 1-3 record vs. CSU. Last year, BYU split the series with the Rams. both winning at home.

Wesley Moving Up Career Charts

Mekeli Wesley has 1,435 career points, ninth on the all-time BYU list. He needs 79 points to pass Kresimir Cosic. He passed Andy Toolson vs. South Alabama into 10th place and moved ahead of Jay Cheesman vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Wesley is sixth all-time at BYU in free throw attempts with 531 and seventh in free throws made with 412. He needs to make 20 more to move past Mike Smith (431) into sixth place and is 72 attempts from passing Fred Roberts into fifth place.

Winning Streak

The Cougars have a six-game winning streak, the longest BYU streak since a seven-game victory string during the 1994-95 season. The streak is also tied for the 10th longest current streak in the nation. BYU has had four five game winning streaks under Cleveland, two last year and two this year, but Saturday's win extended the streak to six games for the first time under Cleveland. The current streak started with BYU's first road win of the season at Weber State. That win ended a two-game skid. The two losses were both single-digit defeats to nationally ranked teams. The Cougars have lost consecutive games twice this year and had back-to-back losses on three occasions last season. BYU has not lost more than two consecutive games since losing three straight in February of the 1998-99 season.

Home Court Streak

The Cougars have a 15-game home winning streak dating back to last year when BYU won its final five contests in the Marriott Center. The home court streak is currently the 10th-longest home success run in the nation. BYU is 10-0 at home this season. BYU's last home loss was to New Mexico (78-74) on Feb. 17, 2000.

BYU at Home

BYU is 10-0 at home this year after going 14-2 at home last year. The Cougars have a 15-game home winning streak. BYU is shooting 49.9 percent from the floor and 44 percent on threes in the Marriott Center this year. The Cougars are out rebounding their opponents at home 36.8-32.1. BYU is scoring 76.5 points at home while giving up 55.5 points. BYU has won its 10 home games by an average of 21 points. BYU has a high of 100 points (vs. Elon College) and a low of 58 points (vs. Southern Utah).

BYU on the Road

BYU is 3-4 in away and neutral games this year, including a 2-2 neutral court record and a 1-2 away mark. The Cougars won their last away game at Weber State. BYU is shooting 42.7 percent from the floor, 29.3 percent on threes and 81.7 percent on free throws away from the Marriott Center. The Cougars are being out rebounded 33.9-31.1. BYU has a 1.7-point scoring deficit on the road while averaging 69.4 points. BYU has a high of 84 points (at Weber State) on the road and a low of 52 points (at ASU).

Lyday Named MWC Player of the Week

COLORADO SPRINGS -- BYU senior guard Terrell Lyday is the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week after leading the Cougars (12-4) to a 79-59 victory in their conference opener vs. San Diego

State. This is the first player of the week honor for Lyday this season and second of his career. Lyday shot 69.2 (9-for-13) percent from the floor and hit 5-of-6 3-pointers (83.3 percent) in just 22

minutes of action for a game-high 24 points. He also dished out two assists, had a career-high two blocked shots and one steal. Lyday has made multiple treys in nine games this season and has scored in double figures in 13 of 16 contests. He also set a new career high with the 69.2 field goal percentage, while the 24 points vs. SDSU was one point shy of his season high of 25 vs. Boise State. Lyday becomes the second Cougar to earn the award this season, joining Mekeli Wesley, who has been recognized twice with the weekly honor.

MWC Players of the Week

Nov. 20 Jarvis Croff, Air Force

Nov. 27 Kaspars Kambala, UNLV

Dec. 4 Marcus Bailey, Wyoming

Dec. 11 Mekeli Wesley, BYU

Dec. 18 Randy Holcomb, SDSU

Jan. 3 Mekeli Wesley, BYU

Jan. 8 Randy Holcomb, SDSU

Jan. 15 Terrell Lyday, BYU

Wesley Earns Second MWC Player of the Week Award

COLORADO SPRINGS -- BYU senior forward Mekeli Wesley was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week Jan. 3 after leading the Cougars (10-4) to a 3-2 record over the prior two weeks. This is the second player of the week honor for Wesley this season and third weekly MWC award of his career. Wesley, a Provo, Utah (Provo HS) product, averaged 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, shot 54.2 percent (32-of-59) from the field and 88.6 percent (31-of-35) in five games. He was named to the Yahoo! Sports Invitational All-Tournament team after averaging 21.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, while shooting 22-of-33 (.667) from the floor and 19-of-23 (.82.6) from the line in three contests. Wesley scored 19 points and had a team-high seven rebounds in 23 minutes in the 83-67 win over Boise State. He tallied 26 points and pulled down four rebounds in the 77-71 loss to Iowa State. In the third place game, a 70-67 loss to then 13th-ranked Southern California, Wesley notched 19 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes. In the final two games of the month, Wesley continued to lead the Cougars in scoring with 17 points in each of the victories over Weber State (84-75) and South Alabama (64-42). He was also a perfect 12-for-12 from the free throw line in the two games.

Wesley Recognized for Outstanding Play

BYU senior forward Mekeli Wesley was named to the Yahoo! Sports Invitational All-Tournament Team Dec. 23 while averaging 21.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in three games. He was named the Mountain West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week Dec. 11 after leading the Cougars to a pair of victories over Rice and Florida International. Wesley, a Provo, Utah (Provo HS) product, averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and shot 60 percent (15-of-25) from the field in the two games that week. In the 78-50 victory over Florida International, he shot 50 percent (7-for-14) from the field and shared game-high scoring honors with 16 points. Wesley also grabbed four rebounds and had two steals vs. the Golden Panthers. On Saturday, he went 8-for-11 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and led the Cougars with 21 points in the 59-49 win at Rice. Wesley also pulled down four rebounds and had two blocks. This is Wesley's first MWC player of the week honor of this season and the second of his career.

BYU Signs Two Players in the Fall

BYU Head Basketball Coach Steve Cleveland announced Nov. 16 that two players have committed to join the Cougar program beginning next season. Cleveland has received NCAA Letters-of-Intent from all-state forward/center Jared Jensen and former all-state point guard Shawn Opunui, who had previously committed to the Cougars before departing on an LDS Church mission. A 6-foot-9, 240-pound center from Plain City, Utah, Jensen is entering his senior season at Fremont High School where he scored 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds per game as a junior. Jensen earned Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News All-State honors and Ogden Standard Examiner All-Area recognition last season while being named Team MVP of the Silver Wolves. A 4.0 student who plans to major in engineering, Jensen is a talented offensive post player who has started at Fremont High since mid-way through his freshman season. Opunui, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound point guard, previously announced his intent to play at BYU during his senior season at Orem High School. After returning from a mission, Opunui has signed to join the Cougars for the 2001-02 season. Widely regarded as the best high school point guard in Utah while at Orem High, the all-state guard scored 21.7 points per game for the Tigers while dishing out more than six assists per contest. A strong offensive player and solid defender, Opunui shot nearly 91 percent from the free throw line, third best in state history, and 40 percent on three-point attempts. His 401 assists put him on the state's top-10 all-time list.

BYU PLAYER NOTES

Mekeli Wesley (15.5 ppg, 5.4 rpg)

Last Game: 14 points, 4 rebounds in 30 minutes vs. UNLV.

• Wesley is third on the team with a 15.5 points per game average. He had been BYU's leading scorer until Monday when both Trent Whiting and Terrell Lyday surpassed Wesley in average with 26 and 23 points, respectively vs. UNLV. Wesley leads the team in scoring on the road at 19.0 ppg. He averages 13.1 at home.

• Wesley has scored in double figures in 14 of BYU's 17 games, including the last two. He has been the Cougars' top scorer or shared the honor in 10 games. Last year he had double figures in 30 of 33 games and led the Cougar in scoring in 17 games.

• He leads the team with 5.4 rebounds per game. He has led the team in rebounds in seven games and has a team-best 28 offensive boards and 63 defensive rebounds.

• He became this year's first repeat winner of the MWC Player of the Week award (Jan. 3) after leading BYU over the holiday two-week, five-game stretch with team bests of 19.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor, 60 percent from behind the three-point arc, and 88.6 percent from the free throw line. He also handed out 1.2 assists per game during the stretch. He earned his first MWC Player of the Week honor this year on Dec. 11.

• He was named to the Yahoo! Sports Invitational All-Tournament Team Dec. 23 while averaging 21.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in three games. He was 22-33 (.667) from the floor and 19-23 (.826) from the line. He also made his only three-point attempt. He had games of 19, 26 and 19 points.

• After starting the year shooting 34.9 percent in the first four games, he shot 60.8 percent over the next seven games and is now shooting 50 percent for the year.

• Wesley has 1,435 career points, ninth on the all-time BYU list. He needs 79 points to pass Kresimir Cosic. Wesley is sixth all-time at BYU in free throw attempts with 531 and seventh in free throws made with 412. He needs to make 20 more to move past Mike Smith (431) into sixth place and is 72 attempts from passing Fred Roberts into fifth place. This year Wesley has team highs of 82 FT makes and 101 attempts (.812).

WESLEY CAPSULE: A preseason All-Mountain West Conference selection, Wesley is the only player on the BYU roster to have played in each of head coach Steve Cleveland's three previous seasons ... a four-year starter, he has developed into one of the top players in the Mountain West Conference with good scoring ability from both the post and the perimeter ... he earned second-team All-MWC honors as a junior and was on the WAC Newcomer Team as a freshman ... he bulked up between his junior and senior seasons and is in the best shape of his career ... he missed part of his sophomore season while attending Salt Lake Community College for a semester and struggled to regain his freshman form ... a team captain, he returned to lead BYU in rebounding and was nine points shy of Lyday in scoring last year.

2000-01 BIO: Wesley had 14 points, 4 rebounds in 30 minutes vs. UNLV ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, season-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 20 minutes vs. SDSU ... 9 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 assists, 2 steals in 27 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks in 25 minutes vs. Idaho ... team-high 17 points with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block in 22 minutes vs. USA ... team-high 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal in 32 minutes vs. Weber State. ... 19 points, team-best 6 rebounds, 2 assists in 25 minutes vs. USC ... season-high 26 points with 4 rebounds in 33 minutes vs. Iowa State ... 19 points, game-high 7 rebounds in 23 minutes vs. Boise State ... came out on fire making 7-8 first half shots, including 2-3 treys, for 16 points in 20 minutes on his way to a game-high 22 points with 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 30 minutes vs. USU ... season-low 5 points, team-best 9 rebounds and two timely blocks in the closing moments in 31 total minutes vs. SUU ... named MWC Player of the Week Dec. 11 ... season-high 21 points with 4 rebounds, 2 blocks in 34 minutes vs. Rice ... 16 points, 4 rebounds, season-high 3 assists in 31 minutes vs. FIU ... team-high 11 points, 7 rebounds in 30 minutes at ASU ... a season-high 20 points and 5 rebounds, 2 assists in 32 minutes vs. USF ... recorded career highs of 12 rebounds and five blocks against UCSB while recording his fifth career double double (first of season) with 11 points ... had a team-high 19 points, 3 rebounds in 21 minutes vs. Elon College, making all five of his field goals.

Terrell Lyday (16.0 ppg, 2.8 rpg)

Last Game: 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in 33 minutes vs. UNLV.

• Lyday was 3-3 on threes, 6-13 overall, and 8-10 from the line vs. UNLV. He was 5-6 on threes and shot a career-best 69.2 percent (9-13) vs. SDSU while adding a career-high 2 blocked shots.

• He was named the MWC Player of the Week Monday after scoring 24 points in 22 minutes vs. SDSU. He is averaging 22.0 ppg over the last three games.

• Lyday has a team-best five 20-plus point games this year, including the last two straight contests.

• Lyday averages 31.6 minutes on the year, second only to Trent Whiting's 33.0 minutes. They are the only two players to average more than 30 minutes per game.

• He has reached double figures in 14 of 17 games this year. He has reach double figures in 44 of 50 games in his two years at BYU.

• Including his 3-3 night vs. UNLV, Lyday has made multiple threes in 10 games this year. He is 8-9 in the last two games and 11-15 in the last three games from behind the arc (5-6 vs. SDSU and 3-6 vs. TAMCC). Last year he made a two or more treys in 20 of 33 games.

• He has made a trey in 16 of 17 games this season. He has made a three in the last five straight games after missing his only trey attempts at Weber State to end a string of 15 straight games with a three dating back to last year. The 15-game streak is third on the BYU all-time list. He set the BYU record with a trey in the first 21 games of last year. He made a three in each of BYU's first 11 games this year.

LYDAY CAPSULE: Lyday had a strong first season last year upon transferring from Fresno City College ... a preseason All-Mountain West Conference selection, he is a MWC Player of the Year candidate and considered the top guard in the league by the preseason poll ... he was named MWC Newcomer of the Year last year ... athletic with a smooth jumper, he is a scorer who can finish inside or consistently knock down shots from the outside ... quick with good hands, he is an outstanding defender who led the MWC in steals last year ... he is a go-to player for the Cougars.

2000-01 BIO: Lyday had 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in 33 minutes vs. UNLV ... a team-high 24 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, career-best 2 blocks, 1 steal in 22 minutes vs. SDSU ... team-high 19 points with 1 rebound, 1 assist in 19 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 13 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 26 minutes vs. Idaho ... 7 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals in team-high 32 minutes vs. USA ... 14 points, season-high 7 rebounds, 1 steal in 40 minutes at Weber State ... 17 points, 2 rebounds, season-high 4 assists in 34 minutes vs. USC ... 18 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals in 32 minutes vs. ISU ... season-highs of 25 points and four steals with 4 rebounds, 2 steals in 36 minutes vs. Boise State despite a sore ankle ... had a career-low 5 points, with 2 rebounds, 2 assists in injury -shortened (sprained right ankle) 26 minutes vs. USU ... game-high 24 points, season-high 4 rebounds, career-high 2 blocks in 39 minutes vs. SUU ... 10 points, 3 rebounds in 37 minutes vs. Rice at the Compaq Center ... 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 31 minutes vs. FIU ... 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 38 minutes at ASU ... 16 points, no rebounds, 1 assist in 39 minutes at USF ... team-high 21 points, no rebounds, 1 assist in 30 minutes vs. UCSB ... 9 points, 3 rebounds in 23 minutes vs. Elon College ... sat out the last exhibition with a muscle strain in his lower leg and played just over half vs. Elon.

Trent Whiting (16.3 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.3 apg)

Last Game: Career-high 26 points with 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 steals in 34 minutes vs. UNLV.

• With his game-high 26 point vs. UNLV he now is the Cougars' leading scorer at 16.3 ppg. In addition to the UNLV game, he has led the Cougars in scoring twice (22 points in his debut vs. Utah State).

• He was 10-15 from the floor, including 3-6 on threes, vs. UNLV. He was 5-8 on threes and 6-11 overall vs. SDSU.

• He has reached double figures in all 10 games he has played this year since becoming eligible on Dec. 16 as a transfer from Utah.

• He plays a team-high 33.0 minutes per game. He is shooting 48.7 percent, 39.7percent on threes, and 77.4 percent from the line.

• Starting in his BYU debut, Whiting hit his first three shots and made four of five threes to score 14 first half points. He made several big plays in the game. He nailed a buzzer-beating three from 30-plus range to put BYU up 41-40 to end the half. He later made a critical steal and layup to tie the game with 2:40 remaining and made two free throws in the last minute to tie the score again at 67. He was 7-11 from the floor on the night. With Lyday playing only 26 minutes because of an ankle sprain, Whiting played both guard positions, coming out for only one minute.

WHITING CAPSULE: Whiting is in his first year at BYU after transferring from Utah last year ... he was not eligible to compete until Dec. 16th against Utah State because of transfer rules ... he only played five games at Utah last year because of injury ... a NJCAA All-American at Snow College, he can play either guard position ... he is a gifted outside shooter with excellent range and a conditioned athlete with a strong vertical leap.

2000-01 BIO: Whiting had a career-high 26 points with 1 rebound, 3 assists, 1 block, 3 steals in 34 minutes vs. UNLV ... 17 points, 3 rebounds, equaled season-high 4 assists, in 26 minutes vs. SDSU ... 15 points, season-high 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks in 33 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block in 29 minutes vs. Idaho ... 13 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 3 steals in season-low 29 minutes vs. USA ... 15 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal, season-high 4 assists in 33 minutes at Weber State ... 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist in 34 minutes vs. USC ... 12 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 38 minutes vs. Iowa State ... 19 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 35 minutes vs. Boise State ... 22 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in team-high 39 minutes vs. USU in his BYU debut.

Nathan Cooper (4.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

Last Game: 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in a season-low 8 minutes vs. UNLV.

• Cooper went 1-2 vs. UNLV. He hit 2-3 threes vs. SDSU. He is shooting 52.0 percent overall this year and is 8-16 on threes (.500). After being last year's top Cougar (.778) from the free throw line, he is shooting 65.7 percent (23-35) from the line this year. He has never averaged less than 74 percent (as a freshman) from the line over the course of a season.

• He is third on the team in rebounding (3.9) and sixth in scoring (4.9). Including his 3 points vs. UNLV in a season-low 8 minutes, he is averaging 7.5 points over the last four games. The prior four games, however, he scored only 1 total point.

• He has come off the bench in the last five games. He has 10 starts, including the first seven games.

COOPER CAPSULE: Cooper is one of the team captains ... he is a versatile player who has a solid outside shot with a tough, scrappy nature and competitive desire ... he was the team's top free throw shooter last year... he has been a solid contributor in each of his first three seasons, both as a starter and off the bench.

2000-01 BIO: Cooper had 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in a season-low 8 minutes vs. UNLV ... 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 14 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 21 minutes vs. Idaho ... did not score with 4 rebounds in 16 minutes vs. USA ... had 1 point in 9 minutes after starting at Weber State ... did not score with 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 25 minutes vs. USC ... did not score, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 19 minutes vs. Iowa State ... 6 points, 5 rebounds in 22 minutes vs. Boise State ... 4 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 14 minutes vs. USU ... did not score, taking only one shot, with 1 rebound, 1 steal in 18 minutes vs. SUU ... 10 points, 4 rebounds, season-high 4 assists in 29 minutes vs. Rice ... had 7 points, 7 rebounds in 21 minutes vs. FIU ... had 5 points, 5 re bounds in 19 minutes at ASU ... had 4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 31 minutes at USF ... had 6 points, 6 rebounds vs. UCSB in 28 minutes ... had 10 points, 7 rebounds in 20 minutes vs. Elon College, going 3-3 from the floor, including 1-1 on threes, and 3-4 free throws.

Eric Nielsen (6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

Last Game: 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 steals in 20 minutes vs. UNLV.

• Nielsen is fourth on the team in scoring (6.8) and second in rebounding (4.5).

• He had his fifth double-digit scoring game of the year vs. UNLV. He had averaged only 2 points and 2.5 rebounds in the prior two games after scoring 9.8 points and grabbing 7 rebounds over the previous four games.

• After not scoring for the first time this year vs. Iowa State, he reached double figures in three straight games for the first time in his career.

• He returned to the starting lineup in the last six games. He has 13 starts overall.

• Nielsen had his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds vs. South Alabama.

• He was 4-6 from the floor vs. UNLV. He is shooting a team-best 58.3 percent from the floor. Last year he had the eighth best season field goal percentage in BYU history with a 57.8 percentage. His current 55.5 career percentage ranks fifth all-time at BYU among starters having made 197-355 field goals.

NIELSEN CAPSULE: Nielsen came on strong at the end of last season helping BYU advance in the MWC and NIT tournaments ... a three-year starter, he played on the 1-25 1996-97 team and, after returning from an LDS Church mission, on last year's 22-11 NIT quarterfinalist squad prior to this season ... an intelligent player with a good mid-range jumper, he is physically much stronger than last season.

2000-01 BIO: Nielsen had 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 steals in 20 minutes vs. UNLV ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals in 16 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 7 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal in 16 minutes vs. Idaho ... first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, along with 2 assists in 27 minutes vs. USA ... 12 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist in 34 minutes at Weber State ... 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 20 minutes vs. USC ... no points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 23 minutes vs. ISU ... 2 points, no rebounds, 1 block in 15 minutes vs. BSU ... 6 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists in 21 minutes vs. USU ... season-high 15 points with 4 rebounds in 35 minutes vs. SUU ... 6 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 19 minutes vs. Rice ... 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in season-high 32 minutes vs. FIU ... 9 points, 9 rebounds in 31 minutes at ASU ... 4 points, 2 rebounds in 8 minutes at USF, fouling out ... 3 points, 2 rebounds in 12 foul-trouble limited minutes vs. UCSB ... 8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists (matched season high from last year) in 25 minutes vs. Elon College.

Travis Hansen (6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg)

Last Game: 8 points, 5 rebounds, career-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 24 minutes vs. UNLV.

• He had perhaps his best all-around game of the year vs. UNLV.

• He has started the last five games and has seven total starts. The Cougars are 7-0 when Hansen starts and 6-4 in games he came off the bench. He came off the bench in the first seven games of the season before getting his first start.

• Overall, he is fifth on the team in scoring (6.2) and fourth in rebounding (3.0).

• He is averaging 8.2 points and 3.7 rebounds during BYU's current six-game winning streak.

HANSEN CAPSULE: Hansen is in his first season at BYU ... he enrolled this fall as a transfer from Utah Valley State College after sitting out a redshirt season last year upon returning from his LDS Church mission ... he played at UVSC as a freshman ... he is one of the most athletic players on the team ... he has nice range from outside and can slash to the basket effectively.

2000-01 BIO: Hansen had 8 points, 5 rebounds, career-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 24 minutes vs. UNLV ... 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 20 minutes vs. SDSU ... 6 points, career-high 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 10 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal in 18 minutes vs. Idaho ... 5 points, no rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal in 14 minutes vs. USA ... career highs of 12 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists in 21 minutes at Weber State ... 5 points in 16 minutes off the bench vs. USC ... career-high 9 points with 3 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench vs. ISU ... started but did not score with 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 12 minutes vs. BSU ... started for the first time and had 2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal in 25 minutes vs. USU ... had identical 8 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 22 minutes lines vs. SUU and Rice ... 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists in 18 minutes vs. FIU ... had 8 points, 2 rebounds in 17 minutes at ASU .... he did not score and had 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 11 minutes at USF ... had 8 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 18 minutes vs. UCSB ... 4 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists in 11 minutes vs. Elon College playing with a groin injury.

Nate Knight (3.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg)

Last Game: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 13 minutes vs. UNLV.

• Saturday he did not take a shot but played a key role guarding UNLV center Kaspars Kambala. The UNLV star came in averaging a double-double but was held without a field goal while scoring 2 points and grabbing only 3 rebounds.

• He is 10-22 (.455) on the year and has made 12-13 (.923) free throws.

• He averages 12.4 minutes as one of the first substitutes off the bench. He has two starts.

KNIGHT CAPSULE: Knight transferred to BYU from Kentucky ... he became eligible to play on Dec. 16 vs. Utah State because of transfer rules ... he previously played at Utah Valley State College and Oregon State ... he is a hard-nosed player who can create problems for opponents with his ability to run the floor ... he is primarily a power forward but could also play at center ... he provides experience and depth to Cougar front line ... his brother Shane played for BYU and brother Travis currently plays in the NBA after a college career at Connecticut.

2000-01 BIO: Knight had 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist in 13 minutes vs. UNLV ... did not score for the first time and had 2 rebounds in 9 minutes vs. SDSU ... tied a season-high 6 points with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 12 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block in 8 minutes vs. Idaho ... 3 points, 2 rebound, 1 assist in 10 minutes vs. USA ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block in 6 minutes at Weber State ... started and had 2 points (2-2 FTs), 2 rebounds in 15 minutes vs. USC ... got first start, equaled season-best 6 points with 5 rebounds, 1 block in 21 minutes ... season-high 6 points with 4 rebounds in 12 minutes vs. BSU ... 5 points, 6 rebounds in 18 minutes vs. USU in his BYU debut.

Matt Montague (2.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 4.2 apg)

Last Game: 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 17 minutes vs. UNLV.

• He has taken only one shot in each of the last two games.

• He has a team-best 71 assists (Wesley and Lyday are next with 26).

• He had no rebounds or points for the second time this year in 15 minutes vs. SDSU. He has not scored in 10 games overall.

•He started the first seven games but has come off the bench since Trent Whiting made his BYU debut vs. Utah State. He is still fourth in minutes played per game at 24.5 (behind Whiting, Lyday and Wesley).

• He started the year making his first eight shots, including 5-5 on threes, but is 1-16 from the floor in the last 11 games. Overall, he is shooting 43.8 percent, including 42.9 percent on threes. He has doubled the number of treys (6-14) he made all of last year (3-12).

MONTAGUE CAPSULE: Montague is the top assist maker on the Cougar roster ... he led the team in assists last year while starting 19 of 33 games ... prior to serving his LDS Church mission, he led the 1996-97 Cougars in assists while starting every game ... a hard-nosed competitor, he sees the floor well and is a great transition passer ... he was slowed some by an Achilles injury last year and during preseason conditioning this year but is not being troubled currently by the injury.

2000-01 BIO: Montague had 3 rebounds, 1 assist in 17 minutes vs. UNLV ... 3 assists, 1 steal in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 2 points, season-highs of 6 rebounds and 9 assists with 2 steals in 25 minutes vs. TAMCC ... did not score, 1 rebound, game-high 3 assists, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs Idaho ... did not score, 2 rebounds, game-high 7 assists, 2 steals in 30 minutes vs USA ... 7 points, 2 rebounds, game-high 5 assists, 1 steal in 18 minutes at Weber State ... his lone steal vs. WSU was taken from WSU star Jermaine Boyette and set up a Travis Hansen hammer dunk to finally pull BYU even at 46-46. BYU did not trail the rest of the way ... did not score and only took two shots (both threes) in three games at the Yahoo! Sports Invitational ... played 11 minutes with 2 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal vs. USC, 12 minutes with 2 assists, 2 rebounds vs. ISU, and 30 minutes with 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and his first-ever block vs. BSU ... did not score (0-1) with 1 assist, 1 steal in season-low 10 minutes vs. USU ... was 0-3 from the floor with 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, career-high 5 steals in 34 minutes vs. SUU ... shot 0-4 and did not score with 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals in 40 minutes vs. Rice ... 8 points, 3 rebounds, season-low 2 assists vs. FIU ... did not score and had 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 28 minutes at ASU ... made his first eight shots of the year over three games, including 5-5 on threes ... had a season-high 12 points with 2 rebounds, 6 assists in 34 minutes at USF ... 9 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists in 33 minutes vs. UCSB ... 6 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists in team-high 30 minutes vs. Elon College, going 2-2 from the floor, both three pointers, marking the first time he has made two treys in a game during his career at BYU ... also had 8 assist and no turnovers and with game-best 3 steals.

Daniel Bobik (3.9 ppg, 1.5 rpg)

Last Game: 1 point, 1 assist in 3 minutes vs. UNLV.

• He played very limited minutes vs. UNLV and did not shoot well vs. SDSU, going 0-6, including 0-5 on treys. He had averaged 7.3 points over the three prior games.

• He has proven he can score when he gets significant minutes. He has played double-digit minutes in seven games this year and is averaging 6.7 points in those games. He has played less than 10 minutes in eight games and averaged 1.9 points in those games. He did not play in two games.

BOBIK CAPSULE: Bobik has enrolled at BYU for his freshman season after returning from an LDS Church mission to the Dominican Republic ... coming out of high school he was one of the first recruits to sign with BYU under Steve Cleveland ... he is an excellent shooter and good passer with good court awareness.

2000-01 BIO: Bobik had 1 point, 1 assist in 3 minutes vs. UNLV ... did not score with 4 rebounds, 2 assists in 15 minutes vs. SDSU ... 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals in 12 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal in 17 minutes vs. Idaho ... 5 points, 1 steal in 7 minutes vs. USA ... did not play vs. Weber State or USC ... played only 1 minute vs. ISU ... 4 points (4-4 FTs), 1 rebound, 1 assist, 1 steal in 8 minutes vs. BSU ... played 3 minutes vs. USU ... was 0-1 (a trey attempt) with 1 rebound, 1 assists, 1 steal in 9 minutes vs. SUU ... 0-1 (trey attempt) with 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal in 5 minutes v. Rice ... 9 points, 3 rebounds, season-high 3 assists in 20 minutes vs. FIU ... 3 points, 3 rebounds in 16 minutes at ASU ... 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists in 12 minutes at USF ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 9 minutes vs. UCSB ... 16 points, 1 rebound, 1 assists in 19 minutes in his college debut vs. Elon College and was 5-10 from the floor and 4-4 from the line. He had three more field goal attempts than the next closest Cougar (Terrell Lyday with 7) ... started against EA Sports (Exhibition) in place of injured Terrell Lyday and had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists ... had 17 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists off the bench vs. Team Reebok.

Jacob Chrisman (3.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg)

Last Game: 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal in 9 minutes vs. UNLV.

• He did not score for only the second time this year Saturday vs. UNLV. He has scored in 14 of the 16 games he has played (except SUU and UNLV). He has had a rebound in 14 of 16 games played (except Rice and SUU).

• He has been a significant contributor on the glass in the last three games. He pulled down 17 boards in the last three games (5.7 rpg) after totalling only 17 rebounds in the prior 10 games (1.7 rpg) in which he played. He had back-to-back career highs of 6 and 8 rebounds vs. TAMCC and SDSU.

• He did not play for the only time this year vs. ISU.

• He was 0-1 vs. SDSU and is now 22-40 (.550) on field goals this year.

CHRISMAN CAPSULE: Chrisman is extremely mobile and has the potential to be a strong rebounder ... he is an athletic low-post player who can score in multiple ways ... he has developed a nice perimeter game ... a hard worker, he has a knack for the game and finds a way to make plays both on offense and defense ... a slasher-type player who has a nice shooting touch ... he will play the three and the four.

2000-01 BIO: Chrisman had 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal in 9 minutes vs. UNLV ... 4 points, career-high 8 rebounds with 1 assist, in 20 minutes vs. SDSU ... 4 points, 6 rebounds with 1 assist, 1 block in 20 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 2 points, 3 rebounds in 11 minutes vs. Idaho ... 2 points, 2 rebounds in 8 minutes vs. USA ... 4 points, 1 rebound in 7 minutes at Weber State ... 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 11 minutes vs. USC ... did not play for the first time vs. ISU ... 2 points (2-2 FTs), 2 rebounds in 7 minutes vs. BSU ... 3 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist in 10 minutes vs USU ... did not score or grab a rebound in season-low 5 minutes vs. SUU ... had 2 points and no rebounds in 8 minutes vs. Rice ... 7 points, 4 rebounds in 11 minutes vs. FIU ... 5 points, 3 rebounds in 12 minutes at ASU ... 7 points, 4 rebounds in 15 minutes at USF ... 4 points, 1 block, 1 steal in 23 minutes vs. UCSB ... 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal, 1 assist in 20 minutes in his college debut vs. Elon College.

Derek Dawes (1.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg)

Last Game: 2 points in 2 minutes vs. UNLV.

• He was 1-1 vs. SDSU. He has taken eight shots in the last 12 games in which he has played (appeared in 14 of 17 games). He is 7-15 on the year from the field.

• He averages 2.4 rebounds in 5.6 minutes per game.

DAWES CAPSULE: Dawes enters his first year of college basketball as one of the most sought-after high school centers in the West ... he has played a limited role but is an active player who runs the floor well and is a good free throw shooter ... he has outstanding shot blocking ability and timing and good athleticism and size.

2000-01 BIO: Dawes had 2 points in 2 minutes vs. UNLV ... 1 rebound, 1 steal in 6 minutes vs. SDSU ... 2 points, 2 rebounds in 3 minutes vs. TAMCC ... 3 points, 3 rebounds in 6 minutes vs. Idaho ... 2 points, 2 rebounds in 2 minutes vs. USA ... did not play at Weber State ... did not score with 3 rebounds, 1 block in 8 minutes vs. USC ... 2 rebounds in 3 minutes vs. ISU ... did not play vs. BSU ... 1 rebound in 4 minutes vs. USU ... 2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block in 7 minutes vs. SUU ... he gave a nice contribution vs. Rice despite playing only six minutes. After making a block he came down the court and knocked down a long jumper on his only attempt. He also grabbed three boards (2 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block in 6 minutes vs. Rice in Houston) ... did not play vs. FIU ... started at ASU and did not score with 2 blocks, 1 rebound in 6 minutes ... 1 point, 1 rebound in 6 minutes at USF ... 3 points, 4 rebounds in 7 minutes vs. UCSB ... 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block in 12 minutes vs. Elon College in his college debut.

Dan Howard (1.3 ppg, 0.8 rpg)

Last Game: Played three minutes, going 0-1, vs. UNLV.

• He has played in nine game overall but has appeared in four of the last five games, including both MWC games.

• He is 5-8 from both the floor and 2-2 from the line this year. Last year he was 3-3 from the floor before being forced to redshirt with a knee injury.

HOWARD CAPSULE: Howard played four games last year but redshirted after having knee surgery ... he had not had any significant game experience since last playing for his high school team in 1996 ... a hard worker, he has a knack for the ball and play a factor with his size inside.

2000-01 BIO: Howard played three minutes, going 0-1, vs. UNLV ... 2 points, season-high 3 rebounds in 10 minutes vs. SDSU ... did not play vs. TAMCC ... had 2 points, 1 rebound in 2 minutes vs. Idaho ... 1 block in 1 minute vs. USA ... did not play at Weber State ... played only 1 minute vs. USC, committing a foul ... did not play in the previous five games ... sat out Rice game with knee injury ... 2 points in 4 minutes vs. FIU ... had 2 rebounds in 2 minutes at ASU ... fouled out with 4 points, no rebounds, 1 block after playing a season-high 12 minutes at USF with Eric Nielsen in foul trouble and USF putting a 7-footer on the court ... did not play vs. UCSB ... had 2 points, 1 rebound, 1 block in 5 minutes vs. Elon College.

Ty Shippen (0.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg, 0.5 apg)

Last Game: 1 steal in 3 minutes vs. UNLV.

• He hit the three vs. SDSU that tied the BYU team record for 13 treys in a game.

• He has played 22 minutes in eight games. After averaging 5 minutes in BYU's first two home wins, he has played 12 total minutes since.

SHIPPEN CAPSULE: Shippen joins the Cougars as a walk-on after transferring from Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho ... he is a gifted shooter and can play either guard position ... he is married to the former Kaly Gillette, who plays on the BYU women's basketball team ... he is the younger brother of BYU women's basketball coach Trent

Shippen ... he served an LDS Church mission to North Carolina.

2000-01 BIO: Shippen had 1 steal in 3 minutes vs. UNLV ... 3 points, 3 rebounds in 4 minutes vs. SDSU ... played 1 minute vs. TAMCC and vs. USA .. had 1 assist in 1 minute at ASU ... played only two minutes with one turnover vs. UCSB ... had 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists in 8 minutes vs. Elon College.

Jordan Archibald (0.2 ppg, 0.2 apg)

Last Game: Played one minute vs. UNLV.

• He played one minute vs. UNLV and missed his only shot in limited play vs. SDSU. He has played 14 minutes this year, six in the season opener vs. Elon College.

ARCHIBALD CAPSULE: Archibald redshirted last year and returns for his freshman season ... he has good size and is a good shooter ... he suffered a broken hand during the off-season and his preseason skill development and conditioning opportunities were further limited due to a fall groin pull.

2000-01 BIO: Archibald played 1 minute vs. UNLV, 3 minutes vs. SDSU, 1 minute vs. TAMCC, Idaho and USA ... had 1 point, 1 assist in 6 minutes vs. Elon College.

Vranes out for the Year

Two-year starting guard Michael Vranes will miss the entire season after a foot injury required two fall surgeries. Vranes played both the point and wing for the Cougars and was the third leading scorer last season and the team's best defender on the perimeter.

Injuries Play Role as Three Players Plan to Redshirt the 2000-01 Season

BYU Head Basketball Coach Steve Cleveland announced Nov. 17 that three players on this year's team - Garner Meads, Jesse Pinegar and Bart Jepsen - plan to redshirt during the 2000-01 season. Meads and Pinegar are both freshmen members of last year's top-20 recruiting class while Jepsen is a sophomore who returned from an LDS Church mission this summer. All three players have experienced injuries that have factored into the decision to redshirt. Meads, a McDonald's High School All-American forward, has had multiple injuries impede his ability to practice. A knee surgery limited his basketball until late summer and a lung injury sustained in only the team's fifth practice has kept the 6-foot-8 forward from any physical activity for the past month. "After meeting with Garner and his family we have determined it is in his best interest to redshirt this season," Cleveland said. "He has not been able to condition because of his lung injury and has also missed nearly all of our practices. He plans to leave on his mission in February, which means he will not enroll in school for the Winter semester." Pinegar, who was a high school teammate of Meads' at Salt Lake City's Brighton High School, suffered a stress fracture in his left foot last week and has a sesmoid (inflamed bone) problem on his right foot. While he will be able to condition and lift weights, the 6-foot-9 forward will not be able to jump and practice for 4-6 weeks. A 6-foot-9 forward, Jepsen has planned on redshirting this year since returning from his mission this summer. While serving his two-year mission, he sustained a broken leg.