GAME 25 - BYU Hosts UNLV Saturday

BYU GAME #25 FAST FACTS

BYU COUGARS (19-5, 8-1 MWC)

vs.

UNLV REBELS (19-5, 8-2 MWC)

Saturday, Feb. 16, 2008

Marriott Center (22,700)

Provo, Utah

7:05 p.m. MT

Coaches:

BYU, Dave Rose (64-23 in third season; same overall)

UNLV, Lon Kruger (83-39 in fourth season; 401-272 in 22nd year overall)

Series:

UNLV leads, 13-12, after a 70-41 victory in Las Vegas earlier this season

TV:

CSTV (Tom Hart, play-by-play; Steve Lappas, game analyst)

Radio:

KSL Newsradio (102.7 FM/1160 AM) and the Cougar Sports Network (6 p.m. MT pregame show -- Greg Wrubell, play-by-play; Mark Durrant, game analyst)

Web:

-- The CSTV broadcast will be streamed live online at www.cstv.com (available live and on-demand to CSTV XXL and BYU All-Access subscribers and for single-event pay-per-view purchase).

-- Live audio and live stats links are available on the basketball schedule page at www.byucougars.com.

BYU HOSTS UNLV SATURDAY

In a battle of the top two teams in the Mountain West Conference standings, BYU (19-5, 8-1 MWC) will host UNLV (19-5, 8-2 MWC) on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Marriott Center. Boasting a season-best seven-game winning streak, the Cougars are coming off a 79-65 victory at Colorado State on Wednesday. The Rebels are coming off a 58-51 win over Air Force on Tuesday. Saturday's game will be televised on CSTV. The radio broadcast can be heard on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM and 1160 AM out of Salt Lake City and on the Internet at KSL.com beginning with the pregame show at 6 p.m. MT. BYU Athletics is sponsoring a White Out for the game, encouraging all fans to wear white.

UP NEXT

The Cougars will host in-state rival Utah on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on The Mtn.

COUGAR QUICK HITS

-- At 8-1 in MWC play, the Cougars are off to their best league start in Mountain West Conference history and their best conference start since 1995 (WAC).

-- BYU was picked in the preseason poll to finish first in the MWC race this year by the league's media.

-- BYU currently owns the nation's second-longest active home win streak with 43 straight wins in the Marriott Center, four victories behind No. 1 Memphis. BYU went 17-0 at home last year and is 12-0 at home this year.

-- Two-time reigning MWC Coach of the Year Dave Rose helped make BYU the second-most improved program in the nation in his first season with a 20-9 record and guided the Cougars to the outright MWC title and a top-25 ranking in his second campaign in Provo as the Cougars went 25-9 last season.

-- This year's BYU squad returns two starters among seven lettermen from last year's outright league leaders (13-3 MWC record) as well as returned missionary Chris Miles, who made six starts as a freshman in 2004-05. Headlining BYU's top returners are 2008 MWC Player of the Year candidates Trent Plaisted, a two-time All-MWC Second Team selection in his first two seasons, and Lee Cummard, a versatile junior guard who earned All-MWC Third Team honors one year ago. Sophomore forward Jonathan Tavernari and senior guards Sam Burgess and Ben Murdock are all full-time starters for the first time this season. Burgess and Murdock have contributed solid play at the guardline while Tavernari has provided scoring punch. Last year Tavernari followed Plaisted's lead the prior season by being named the 2007 MWC Freshman of the Year.

LOOKING AT UNLV

UNLV returns eight lettermen and one starter from last year's 30-7 NCAA Sweet 16 team that finished second at 12-4 to BYU in the Mountain West Conference before winning the MWC Tournament with a victory over the Cougars in the title game at the Thomas & Mack Center. This year the Rebels are 19-5 overall and 8-2 in conference play. UNLV had a five-game victory streak come to an end with an 81-73 loss at Utah on Feb. 6 but has bounced back to win the last two games. The Rebels' only other MWC loss was a 65-53 setback at Air Force in their second league game. UNLV is 13-2 at home this season, 5-3 on the road and 1-0 on a neutral floor. The Rebels' two home defeats have both been against nationally ranked teams with losses to Louisville (68-48) on Nov. 21 and Arizona (52-49) on Dec. 19. Wink Adams is the Rebels' top scorer at 15.9 points per game, followed by Joe Darger at 12.4 ppg and Curtis Terry at 10.7 ppg. Darger is second for UNLV on the glass with 5.2 rebounds per game while Rene Rougeau pulls down 5.4 board per contest. Terry dishes out a team-leading 4.8 assists per outing. The Rebels average 71.2 points while giving up 61.2 points per game but are being beaten on the boards by 1.8 rebounds per game (37.3 to 35.5). UNLV makes 41.9 percent from the floor, 32.6 percent on threes and an MWC-best 74.8 percent at the line. Adams is the top free-throw shooter in the MWC at 88.0 percent (95-for-108). UNLV has held its opponents to .399 shooting from the field, including an MWC-best .293 from three-point range. The Rebels pace the league in turnover margin, gaining 5.25 more possessions on average than they surrender. UNLV also leads the MWC in assist/turnover ratio at 1.48. UNLV coach Lon Kruger is in his fourth season in Las Vegas, earning a 83-39 record. He is 401-272 in his 22nd season overall as a head coach.

UNLV'S PROBABLE STARTERS

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

F 15 Corey Bailey 6-5 215 Sr. 7.0 3.6 Tampa, Fla.

F 45 Joe Darger 6-7 225 Jr. 12.4 5.2 Riverton, Utah

G/F 31 Curtis Terry 6-5 205 Sr. 10.7 3.1 University Place, Wash.

G 24 Rene Rougeau 6-6 205 Jr. 8.2 5.4 Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

G 1 Wink Adams 6-0 200 Jr. 15.9 3.8 Houston, Texas

UNLV'S LAST OUTING -- UNLV SURGES PAST AIR FORCE

LAS -- Wink Adams scored 13 points and Corey Bailey added 11 to lift UNLV to a 58-51 victory against Air Force on Tuesday night. The game was tied at 42 with six minutes to play before the Rebels (19-5, 8-2 Mountain West Conference) went on a 5-0 run and never trailed again. Bailey capped the rally with a 3-pointer. Air Force (12-11, 4-6) scored the next four points to pull within one, but Adams converted a 3-point play to extend the lead to four and the Falcons committed a shot clock violation on their next possession. Joe Darger scored nine of his 11 points in the final two minutes, including a 3-pointer with 32 seconds to play to give the Rebels a five point advantage. UNLV led by one at halftime, but Air Force used a pair of 3-pointers from Keith Maren to open the second half on a 7-0 run to build its biggest lead of the game, 31-26. Andrew Henke led Air Force with a game-high 15 points, and Maren had 11.

SERIES NOTES

This will be the 26th meeting in the series between the two schools that dates back to 1981. UNLV leads the series, 13-12, after winning three of the last four meetings, including a 70-41 home win earlier this season. Last season, BYU won 90-63 in Provo after an 83-75 UNLV win in Las Vegas and then fell 70-78 at UNLV in the MWC Tournament Championship game. The two teams split the season sereis in 2005-06 with each squad winning on its home floor. BYU swept the season series in 2004 and split the series in 2005, with each team winning on the road. The series has been tied nine times over the last five years. The Cougars won the first two meetings in the series in 1981 before the Rebels ran off four straight victories. Prior to 2004, the last time the Cougars swept the regular season series was in 1999-2000. BYU is 8-3 in Provo against UNLV and 4-10 in Las Vegas against the Rebels. BYU has won 10 of the 19 games as MWC opponents. In addition to last year's MWC Tournament matchup. the two teams also met in the 2000 Championship game with BYU losing 76-59 on the Rebels' home floor at the Thomas & Mack Center.

BYU SERIES RECORD VS. UNLV

Overall Series Record: UNLV leads 13-12

BYU Record in Provo: 8-3 (8-3 in the Marriott Center)

BYU Record in Las Vegas: 4-10 (3-10 in the TMC)

BYU Record at Neutral Sites: 0-0

BYU Record under Dave Rose: 3-3

BYU Record in Overtime Games: 2-0

Last Overtime Game: 2005, won in Las Vegas, 82-72

Longest BYU Win Streak: 3 (2004-2005)

Longest UNLV Win Streak: 4 (1981-98)

Largest BYU Margin of Victory: 28, 91-63 in 2001

Largest UNLV Margin of Victory: 29, 70-41 in 2008

Most Points Scored by BYU: 92 in 1981

Most Points Scored by UNLV: 90 in 1981

QUOTING COACH ROSE

"I'm sure that our players will be emotionally ready to play. We need to make sure we are physically and mentally ready and that we stay within our game plan. Over the last year or two, the UNLV vs. BYU games have taken on a whole new meaning. We battled last year for the MWC Tournament Championship, and then we got beat pretty good last time we played so we have to be ready to go."

"I think we're better now than we were four weeks ago when we played them. We're better at handling pressure. You know they're going to get out and guard us. They don't play a true center so they're playing five guys who can really extend and get out on the perimeter so we'll have to be ready for that. We need to take advantage of the opportunities created by that pressure."

THIS YEAR AT UNLV -- REBELS ROLL AT THOMAS & MACK

LAS -- On a night that the Cougars were held to their lowest point total of the season, BYU dropped its first Mountain West Conference game of the year at UNLV, 70-41. The Cougars (12-5, 1-1 MWC) fell for the fourth straight time against the Rebels (13-4, 2-1 MWC) at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Cougars came into their first MWC road game averaging 79.5 points per game, but they left with connecting on just 33 percent of their shots for only 41 points. BYU also shot a season low from the free-throw line, connecting on 8-of-20 (.400) attempts. BYU was led by junior guard Lee Cummard as he finished as the only Cougar in double-digit scoring with 11. Chris Miles and Chris Collinsworth came off the bench to give a boost to the Cougars. Miles finished second in scoring with a season-high nine points, and Collinsworth pulled down a career- and game-high 11 rebounds. UNLV got out to a hot start as the Rebels started the game with a 9-3 run over the first 4:20 of the contest. The Rebels eventually built the lead to 11 points at the 12:17 mark with a 16-5 advantage. UNLV senior Curtis Terry got going early for the Rebels as he hit on his first three attempts from beyond the arc. The Rebels continued to connect from beyond the arc, connecting on 7-of-12 three-pointers in the first half. Terry went on to lead the Rebels in first-half scoring as he finished with 14 before the break. UNLV went into the locker room up 39-21, holding BYU to its lowest first-half total of the season. The Cougars' previous low in scoring was 31 against No. 1 North Carolina. BYU's first-half difficulties came in part due to 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. The second half proved to be much of the same for the Cougars as their offensive woes continued. BYU never got within 13 points of the Rebels and was only able to notch 20 more points in the game. Another offensive category that BYU struggled in was its three-point shooting. Coming into the game against the Rebels, the Cougars were averaging 37 percent from beyond the arc but were only able to hit on 3-of-21 (.143) attempts. Both teams went through long second-half scoring droughts. BYU stiffened its defense as the Cougars held UNLV without a field goal for more than six minutes. However, the Cougars were unable to capitalize on the Rebels' lack of scoring as BYU did not connect on a shot of its own from the field from the 12:15 mark to the 4:30 point of the second half. UNLV was led by Terry, who finished the game with 21 points. Rene Rougeau also chipped in 15 points for the Rebels along with seven rebounds. Matt Shaw paced the Rebels on the boards with eight.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "I thought we came in with a good game plan, but we just got outplayed. We got outplayed on the offensive end of the floor, and we got outplayed on the defensive end of the floor. We didn't have any consistent offensive play in the post, and we didn't hit shots. UNLV dominated this game."

-- "Obviously it's hard to win when you can't consistently score. I thought our zone worked and we got some stops, but we weren't able to capitalize because we couldn't score."

-- "Turnovers really can hurt you, but the type of turnovers we had tonight really can kill you. You just can't defend them (when you turn the ball over in that way)."

-- "We have a lot of players that it's their first time out there in a conference game on the road. It's a different game and a different environment. We just got outplayed."

-- "I thought between Chris Miles and Chris Collinsworth we got some good minutes off the bench in the post. We just need to get more consistency."

-- "The one thing about your team as you go through a season is you find out about the character of a team as you go through these kinds of experiences. We knew this would be a tough stretch on our schedule. I really believe that we have very competitive guys, and we will bounce back from this. We just need to get it behind us and get on with (the next game). We've got another big challenge ahead of ourselves on Saturday."

BYU NOTES FROM THIS YEAR AT UNLV

-- Jonathan Tavernari returned to the starting lineup for his 11th start of the year, joining Ben Murdock, Sam Burgess, Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted in the starting five. The latter four have started every game this season.

-- Individual Career Highs: Chris Collinsworth -- 11 rebounds.

-- Individual Season Highs: Chris Miles -- 9 points.

-- BYU's only leads in the game came at 3-0 and 3-2. BYU's 41 points is the fewest scored by a Cougar team since losing 70-39 at Air Force on Feb. 21, 2005. The 29-point margin of defeat is the largest for the Cougars since a 27-point deficit at San Diego State on Jan. 21, 2006 (88-61).

-- BYU suffered season lows in all shooting categories, making just 33.3 percent from the floor, 14.3 percent from behind the arc and 40 percent at the free-throw line. BYU's three treys is the fewest made in a game since converting twice vs. Colorado State last season (Feb. 21, 2007).

-- UNLV's 39-21 halftime lead marks only the third time BYU has trailed at the break this year. The Cougars failed to score 30 points in the first half for the first time this year. BYU's 21 first-half points and 20 points in the second half are the team's lowest outputs of the season.

-- Lee Cummard was the lone Cougar to score in double figures with 11 points, marking the first time this year only one Cougar reached double digits.

-- Cummard was one of three Cougars to make a three-pointer, extending his streak of consecutive games with a trey to 11. Jimmer Fredette and Tavernari also made a three against the Rebels. Tavernari and Cummard have converted from behind the arc in 16 of 17 games this season.

-- Cummard was a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, improving his season total to 37-of-41 (.902) after making his last 14 straight. Cummard has been perfect from the line in eight of the 11 games in which he has taken free throws.

-- True freshman Collinsworth posted a game- and career-high 11 rebounds, just the second time this season he has posted double-digit boards. Collinsworth is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game in the last five contests.

-- Miles posted a season-high 9 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field in 17 minutes, starting the second half. Miles is averaging 7.6 minutes per game on the year and 16.7 mpg in the last three contests.

-- Tavernari added to his team-high steal total with two picks at UNLV, recording 22 on the season. Tavernari has had at least two steals in eight of 17 games this year.

THIS YEAR AT UNLV -- REBELS ROLL AT THOMAS & MACK

LAS -- On a night that the Cougars were held to their lowest point total of the season, BYU dropped its first Mountain West Conference game of the year at UNLV, 70-41. The Cougars (12-5, 1-1 MWC) fell for the fourth straight time against the Rebels (13-4, 2-1 MWC) at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Cougars came into their first MWC road game averaging 79.5 points per game, but they left with connecting on just 33 percent of their shots for only 41 points. BYU also shot a season low from the free-throw line, connecting on 8-of-20 (.400) attempts. BYU was led by junior guard Lee Cummard as he finished as the only Cougar in double-digit scoring with 11. Chris Miles and Chris Collinsworth came off the bench to give a boost to the Cougars. Miles finished second in scoring with a season-high nine points, and Collinsworth pulled down a career- and game-high 11 rebounds. UNLV got out to a hot start as the Rebels started the game with a 9-3 run over the first 4:20 of the contest. The Rebels eventually built the lead to 11 points at the 12:17 mark with a 16-5 advantage. UNLV senior Curtis Terry got going early for the Rebels as he hit on his first three attempts from beyond the arc. The Rebels continued to connect from beyond the arc, connecting on 7-of-12 three-pointers in the first half. Terry went on to lead the Rebels in first-half scoring as he finished with 14 before the break. UNLV went into the locker room up 39-21, holding BYU to its lowest first-half total of the season. The Cougars' previous low in scoring was 31 against No. 1 North Carolina. BYU's first-half difficulties came in part due to 12 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. The second half proved to be much of the same for the Cougars as their offensive woes continued. BYU never got within 13 points of the Rebels and was only able to notch 20 more points in the game. Another offensive category that BYU struggled in was its three-point shooting. Coming into the game against the Rebels, the Cougars were averaging 37 percent from beyond the arc but were only able to hit on 3-of-21 (.143) attempts. Both teams went through long second-half scoring droughts. BYU stiffened its defense as the Cougars held UNLV without a field goal for more than six minutes. However, the Cougars were unable to capitalize on the Rebels' lack of scoring as BYU did not connect on a shot of its own from the field from the 12:15 mark to the 4:30 point of the second half. UNLV was led by Terry, who finished the game with 21 points. Rene Rougeau also chipped in 15 points for the Rebels along with seven rebounds. Matt Shaw paced the Rebels on the boards with eight.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "I thought we came in with a good game plan, but we just got outplayed. We got outplayed on the offensive end of the floor, and we got outplayed on the defensive end of the floor. We didn't have any consistent offensive play in the post, and we didn't hit shots. UNLV dominated this game."

-- "Obviously it's hard to win when you can't consistently score. I thought our zone worked and we got some stops, but we weren't able to capitalize because we couldn't score."

-- "Turnovers really can hurt you, but the type of turnovers we had tonight really can kill you. You just can't defend them (when you turn the ball over in that way)."

-- "We have a lot of players that it's their first time out there in a conference game on the road. It's a different game and a different environment. We just got outplayed."

-- "I thought between Chris Miles and Chris Collinsworth we got some good minutes off the bench in the post. We just need to get more consistency."

-- "The one thing about your team as you go through a season is you find out about the character of a team as you go through these kinds of experiences. We knew this would be a tough stretch on our schedule. I really believe that we have very competitive guys, and we will bounce back from this. We just need to get it behind us and get on with (the next game). We've got another big challenge ahead of ourselves on Saturday."

BYU NOTES FROM THIS YEAR AT UNLV

-- Jonathan Tavernari returned to the starting lineup for his 11th start of the year, joining Ben Murdock, Sam Burgess, Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted in the starting five. The latter four have started every game this season.

-- Individual Career Highs: Chris Collinsworth -- 11 rebounds.

-- Individual Season Highs: Chris Miles -- 9 points.

-- BYU's only leads in the game came at 3-0 and 3-2. BYU's 41 points is the fewest scored by a Cougar team since losing 70-39 at Air Force on Feb. 21, 2005. The 29-point margin of defeat is the largest for the Cougars since a 27-point deficit at San Diego State on Jan. 21, 2006 (88-61).

-- BYU suffered season lows in all shooting categories, making just 33.3 percent from the floor, 14.3 percent from behind the arc and 40 percent at the free-throw line. BYU's three treys is the fewest made in a game since converting twice vs. Colorado State last season (Feb. 21, 2007).

-- UNLV's 39-21 halftime lead marks only the third time BYU has trailed at the break this year. The Cougars failed to score 30 points in the first half for the first time this year. BYU's 21 first-half points and 20 points in the second half are the team's lowest outputs of the season.

-- Lee Cummard was the lone Cougar to score in double figures with 11 points, marking the first time this year only one Cougar reached double digits.

-- Cummard was one of three Cougars to make a three-pointer, extending his streak of consecutive games with a trey to 11. Jimmer Fredette and Tavernari also made a three against the Rebels. Tavernari and Cummard have converted from behind the arc in 16 of 17 games this season.

-- Cummard was a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line, improving his season total to 37-of-41 (.902) after making his last 14 straight. Cummard has been perfect from the line in eight of the 11 games in which he has taken free throws.

-- True freshman Collinsworth posted a game- and career-high 11 rebounds, just the second time this season he has posted double-digit boards. Collinsworth is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game in the last five contests.

-- Miles posted a season-high 9 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field in 17 minutes, starting the second half. Miles is averaging 7.6 minutes per game on the year and 16.7 mpg in the last three contests.

-- Tavernari added to his team-high steal total with two picks at UNLV, recording 22 on the season. Tavernari has had at least two steals in eight of 17 games this year.

LAST YEAR IN PROVO -- THREE-POINTERS PUSH BYU PAST NO. 25 UNLV

PROVO -- The Cougars broke No. 25 UNLV's five-game winning streak on Saturday in the Marriott Center, deciding to return the favor after having their own seven-game winning streak snapped earlier this season while at the Thomas & Mack Center. A crowd of 15,899 was present to witness the final score of 90-63. Mike Rose led all scorers for BYU with 27 points, breaking his career high, followed by Austin Ainge with 17 points and Trent Plaisted with 12. Rose also tied the BYU individual record that he set for most three-pointers made in a game with eight. Lee Cummard had a perfect game, shooting 3-for-3 from the field. The team set a new school record for three-pointers made in a game with 15. The win marked BYU's second victory against a ranked team this season. The team previously beat No. 13 Air Force on Jan. 27 in the Marriott Center. Also, with the victory BYU extended its home winning streak to 28 games, tied for the second-longest in the nation. The Cougars have now won 12 of the last 14 games and are 17-6 overall and 7-2 in the Mountain West Conference. BYU jumped out to an early 9-3 lead, capped by Jimmy Balderson's first recorded dunk of the season. Both teams continued to trade baskets, quickly driving up the score. With 10:21 to play in the half, Mike Rose hit back-to-back three-pointers to extend BYU's lead to eight at 24-16. With 7:40 left in the half, Rose remained perfect behind the arc by making his fourth three-pointer, bringing the Cougar lead to 35-23. Vuk Ivanovic earned his first points of the game with just under seven minutes to play, followed by a jumper by Keena Young. Rose's fifth three came a few minutes later, bringing the score to 44-28. Sam Burgess scored his first points of the game with 2:50 to go in the half, recording the Cougars' ninth three-pointer of the half. A steal by Jonathan Tavernari resulted in two points for Austin Ainge. At the half, BYU was 9-of-15 from behind the arc and .588 from the field. Austin Ainge scored the first five points to open the second half of play, bringing the score to 54-34. With just under 16 minutes on the clock, he made his third three of the game. A significant blocked shot by Trent Plaisted turned the possession over to BYU with 14:52 remaining. After three made free throws by Rose, the Rebel's Wink Adams hit a jumper, bringing the score to 66-43. BYU answered with a one-handed dunk by Plaisted. Rose's first three-pointer of the half came with just under eight minutes to play. On the next possession Adams of UNLV came back with one of his own. A one-for-three trip to the free throw line by the Rebels' Curtis Terry was followed by Plaisted's third dunk of the night with 4:25 left to play. Tavernari's three with 2:08 on the clock tied BYU's record for the most baskets made from behind the three-point line. With just over 30 seconds to play, Rose made his eighth three-pointer of the night. UNLV was led by Adams with 14 points and Gaston Essengue with 6 rebounds.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "The guys really responded well from an emotional win earlier in the week."

-- "I like it when guys come off the bench and make shots. It's really good for our energy and chemistry. There was good play off the bench tonight and great play from Mike Rose."

-- "We really wanted to work on the inside tonight but had a lot of opportunities from outside the perimeter."

-- "Tonight, you get someone who goes 8-for-10 from the perimeter, and that's a special night. Mike Rose had a great night."

UNLV Head Coach Lon Kruger

-- "It was a total domination by BYU. They got us on our heels early, and they just kept getting better."

-- "They got on top of us early, and we didn't respond in a way that we could change the momentum back."

-- "We have to learn from this, make progress and get better. We didn't win many battles today."

-- "Basically, they got to all the loose balls, got the long rebounds and made all the energy plays."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST YEAR IN PROVO

-- Individual Career Highs: Mike Rose -- 27 points, 8 three-pointers made (tied); Ben Murdock - 4 assists; Lee Cummard - 5 steals.

-- Team Season Highs/Lows: Most points scored in a half against Div. I -- 49 (first); .682 three-point shooing percentage.

-- Records -- BYU set a new school record for three-pointers made in a game with 15 against UNLV. Mike Rose tied the BYU individual record for three-pointers made in a game with eight against UNLV (set by Rose in 2003).

-- BYU's win over No. 25 UNLV extended its home winning streak to 28 games, which is tied for the second-longest active home victory streak in the nation. The Cougars are 14-0 at home this season and 400-116 (.775) all-time in the Marriott Center.

-- The Cougars' victory over No. 25 UNLV marked the second consecutive BYU win over a ranked team in the Marriott Center, including last Saturday's win over No. 13 Air Force. Prior to that, BYU had not defeated a ranked opponent since beating then-No. 25 Oklahoma State 76-71 on Dec. 6, 2003 in Salt Lake City. BYU hadn't beaten a ranked team in the Marriott Center since Feb. 1, 1992 with an 80-63 win over No. 19 UTEP.

-- With a matchup against the No. 25 Rebels, BYU has now faced four ranked teams this season, the only Mountain West Conference team to do so. The Cougars are 2-2 in those games with a 90-63 win over UNLV, a 61-52 win over then-No. 13 Air Force, an 82-69 loss at then-No. 5 UCLA and a 76-61 neutral court loss against then-No. 25 Michigan State.

-- With a +27 (90-63) margin of victory against UNLV, BYU has won four of its nine MWC games this season by more than 20 points, including a 21-point (70-49) win at New Mexico on Jan. 24, a 24-point (89-65) win over TCU on Jan. 10 and a 22-point victory (80-58) over San Diego State to open MWC play. The UNLV win marked BYU's largest margin of victory in MWC play since a 29-point win (82-53) on Jan. 17, 2004 against Colorado State. BYU has won just 10 games by 20 points or more in MWC play since the formation of the league prior to the 1999-2000 season.

-- BYU is now 16-3 when scoring at least 70 points and 15-0 when holding opponents below the 70-point threshold.

-- With a 38-30 rebounding advantage against the Rebels, the Cougars are now 16-0 when winning the battle of the boards.

-- Leading 49-34 against UNLV, BYU went into the locker room with a halftime lead for the 18th time this season, including its eighth double-digit lead, The Cougars have scored over 40 points in the first half five times this season. The Cougars are now 16-2 when leading at the break. BYU is also 16-0 when leading at the five-minute mark and 16-0 when leading at the one-minute mark.

-- The Cougars' .682 (15-for-22) three-point shooting marked the 12th time this season BYU has shot above .400 from three-point range and the ninth time this year the Cougars have topped .500. BYU ranked 15th in the country in three-point shooting percentage entering the UNLV game.

-- Austin Ainge scored in double figures for the seventh time this season with 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 shooting from three-point range.

BYU NOTES

BYU'S LAST OUTING -- SEVENTH STRAIGHT WIN FOR BYU

FORT COLLINS -- The BYU men's basketball team ran its win streak to seven straight games Wednesday night with a 79-65 win at Colorado State, the Cougars fourth straight road victory. With the win, BYU maintained its hold on the top spot in the Mountain West Conference with an 8-1 league record while improving to 19-5 overall. All five starters scored in double figures for the Cougars, led by 22 points from Lee Cummard and 21 points from Trent Plaisted, who did not miss a shot in the game as he went 9-for-9 from the field. Senior Ben Murdock chipped in a career-high 13 points while dishing out six assists with just one turnover. Jonathan Tavernari and Sam Burgess each scored 10 points while Tavernari posted his second double-double in the last three games with a career-high-tying 10 rebounds. Cummard has now topped the 20-point mark in four of the last five games as he continues his push for MWC Player of the Year. In an excellent display of team defense, BYU held CSU's Marcus Walker, who entered the game leading the MWC with 18.5 points per game overall and 22.2 ppg in league play, to a season-low seven points on 2-for-18 shooting from the field. The Cougars continued to build on an early advantage, making seven of their first nine shots while holding Colorado State to 2-for-11 shooting to begin the game. After four straight points from Cummard, Murdock gave BYU its largest lead of the game at 20-6 with a three-point make with 13:04 left in the half. With Plaisted on the bench with two fouls, the Rams found their rhythm with a 15-6 run to reduce the deficit to just five points at 26-21, forcing a Cougar timeout. Murdock made the first BYU shot in six tries out of the timeout, which was followed by an easy layin from Cummard. CSU continued to hang around as the two teams traded buckets with BYU clinging to the lead. Creason got the crowd going with a putback to cut the Cougar lead to 34-31 with under two minutes to play in the half, and neither team would score for the remainder of the half. Plaisted came out of the break strong with a driving layin on the opening possession of the half, but Creason shot over him on the other end to keep the lead at three points. After a three from Tavernari, four more points from Plaisted sandwiched around a Ram free throw kept CSU at bay before back-to-back Cougar threes from Burgess and Tavernari pushed the lead back to double digits at 49-37. The two teams traded scores from there until a three-pointer from Cummard gave the Cougars their largest lead of the game to that point at 56-42 with just over 12 minutes to play. Cummard's trey proved a momentum-builder as BYU scored the next eight points to take a 61-42 lead. Creason, playing just his second game back after missing nine games due to injury, fought to bring his team back, cutting the lead back down to 10 points at 67-57 with six minutes left to play as Plaisted picked up his fourth foul. Forced to return to the game with four fouls after Miles fouled out, Plaisted made a huge bucket, his eighth make in eight tries as the clock ticked past five minutes. After CSU answered, Murdock increased his career high with a driving layin, giving him 13 points on the night to surpass his previous career high of nine. Plaisted then scored four straight with time winding down, and Tavernari and Cummard each drained two free throws to secure the win for BYU.

WHAT WAS SAID AFTER THE GAME ...

BYU Head Coach Dave Rose

-- "This (Colorado State) was a team that got an emotional lift from (Stuart) Creason coming back. He played more minutes than Coach Miles probably expected him to play, but he was good and really hard for us to get a feel for."

-- "Give our guys a ton of credit for competing. Our guards were so aware and competitive on Marcus Walker. Most of his shots were contested. They stayed right with him. Our post guys did a good job helping on penetration."

-- "We got a really balanced game from our staring five. We knew coming into this that we wouldn't be able to get it done with just one or two guys. We had to be balanced, and we did a good job of that tonight."

BYU NOTES FROM LAST OUTING

-- Individual Career Highs: Ben Murdock - 13 points; Jonathan Tavernari -- 10 rebounds (tied).

-- At 8-1 in Mountain West Conference play, the Cougars are off to their best league start since going 8-1 in 1995 when BYU still played in the Western Athletic Conference.

-- The Cougars' seven straight wins marks their longest win streak of the season (@ Utah, San Diego State, New Mexico, @ Air Force, @ Wyoming, TCU, @ CSU). BYU has won at least six straight MWC games in each of Dave Rose's three seasons at the helm.

-- BYU picked up its fourth straight MWC road win with the victory at Colorado State, moving to 4-1 on the road in league play and 6-3 overall. BYU won five of its last seven road games last season and was the only MWC team with a winning road record in league play at 5-3.

-- With a game-high lead of 19 points, the Cougars have now held a double-digit lead in 19 of 24 games this year. BYU has also led wire-to-wire in 11 games this season.

-- With a 34-31 advantage after the first 20 minutes of play, BYU recorded its 20th halftime lead of the season. The Cougars are now 18-2 when leading at the break.

-- BYU has had at least one player top the 20-point mark in each of the last five games and has had two players score at least 20 points in the same game in three of the last four (Cummard -- 22, Plaisted -- 21).

-- All five starters scored in double figures against the Rams, helping BYU improve to 9-1 when at least four players score in double digits and 4-0 when five players do so.

-- The Cougars played solid team defense at Colorado State, holding Marcus Walker, who entered the game leading the MWC with 18.5 points per game overall and 22.2 ppg in league play, to a season-low seven points in the game. Walker went 2-for-18 from the field.

-- With 21 points at Colorado State, Plaisted cracked the top 20 on BYU's all-time scoring list. Plaisted went 9-for-9 from the field against the Rams to reach 1,208 career points, leapfrogging Eldon Brinley and Gary Trost to move to 19th on the scoring list.

-- For the fourth time in five games, Cummard topped the 20-point mark with 22 at CSU, the eighth time this year he has scored at least 20 points. Cummard's 13 first-half points marked the ninth time this season he has reached double-digits in the first 20 minutes.

-- Tavenari recorded his second career double-double and second in the last three games with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

-- Burgess has come on strong for the Cougars during their seven-game win streak, scoring in double figures in four of seven games, including 10 at Colorado State. He has reached double digits in 10 games on the year after doing so in just four contests last season.

-- With two three-point makes in the first eight minutes of the game, Murdock surpassed his season scoring average of 4.2 points per game. He finished the first half with eight points, already tying his season high. He made it a career night with a make midway through the second half to score 10 points and finished with 13. He also dished out six assists with just one turnover

- The Cougars came out strong to begin both halves against the Rams, outscoring CSU 13-2 in the first 4:40 of the first half and 15-6 in the first 4:42 of the second half.

COUGAR START AMONG THE TOP IN SCHOOL HISTORY

BYU has a 19-5 record through 24 games this year. In the 105-year history of BYU men's basketball, only four teams of the 73 that played at least 24 games during a season earned a better record than this year's Cougar squad. Nine other BYU teams have equaled the current Cougars' 19-5 start. If the Cougars can win their game Saturday against UNLV, they would own a 25-game record that has been topped by only four other BYU squads and equaled by five others. (SEE CHART IN PDF VERSION).

20-WIN SEASONS

At 19-5 so far this season, BYU is one win away from achieving the program's 31st 20-win season, including three straight for Cougar head coach Dave Rose in his first three seasons at the helm. Last year, the Cougars finished 25-9 following a 20-9 campaign in 2005-06. BYU has averaged 20 wins every 2.6 years (BYU has played 80 seasons in which it has played at least 20 games in a season). Rose is trying to became the third Cougar head coach to win 20 games in each of his first three years, joining G. Ott Romney and Roger Reid. However, Rose would be the first Cougar head coach to win 20 games in each of his first three years after taking over a program with less than 13 wins the prior year. BYU was 9-21 in 2004-05 before Rose turned the program into the second-most improved team in the nation in his first season.

20-Win Seasons at BYU

Stan Watts had 6 seasons of 20 wins in 23 years of coaching

Roger Reid had 6 seasons of 20 wins in 8 years of coaching

G. Ott Romney had 5 seasons of 20 wins in 9 years of coaching

Steve Cleveland had 4 seasons of 20 wins in 8 years of coaching

Ladell Anderson had 3 season of 20 wins in 6 years of coaching

Frank Arnold had 3 seasons of 20 wins in 8 years of coaching

Dave Rose has 2 seasons of 20 wins in 2 years of coaching

Floyd Millet had 1 season of 20 wins in 8 years of coaching

REGULAR-SEASON BENCHMARKS FOR NCAA INVITES

Winning 20 or more games in the regular season has proven to be a significant indicator for receiving an invitation into the NCAA Tournament. Since the first NCAA Tournament in 1939, BYU has had 20 seasons with 20 regular-season wins, including last year's team. In those 20 years, BYU has earned a postseason invite each season, including 17 NCAA bids, three NIT berths (BYU played both NIT and NCAA in 1950-51) and one NAIB (1948-49) invite. In the modern era since the NCAA Tournament became the predominant championship over the NIT, BYU has had 15 seasons when it earned 20 or more wins during regular-season games (prior to starting the conference tournament). The Cougars have received an invite to play in the NCAA Tournament in 14 of those seasons, with the lone exception being the 2005-06 team that finished the regular season 20-7 and fell to 20-8 with a loss at the MWC Tournament before receiving an NIT invitation. Including last year, BYU has reached 21 regular-season wins during 11 of those 15 seasons and has been invited to play in the NCAA Tournament in each of those 11 years.

COUGARS IN CONFERENCE

BYU basketball boasts a remarkable record of conference success during its history. After earning its 26th regular-season conference championship in 2007, the Cougars moved into a tie for ninth among all NCAA Division I programs for most regular-season league titles won (SEE CHART IN PDF VERSION). Including conference tournaments, BYU has claimed a conference championship trophy during 27 seasons. The Cougars won the 1991 WAC Tournament after a second-place regular-season finish. Other conference tournament titles in 1992 (WAC) and 2001 (MWC) have followed up regular-season rings, as was the case with conference playoff wins in 1924 and 1933 in the Rocky Mountain Conference. BYU won six Rocky Mountain Conference titles in 20 years, earned five Skyline championships in 24 years, recorded 12 WAC crowns in 37 years and has garned MWC honors in three of the league's first eight seasons. BYU won the in-state title against rivals Utah and Utah State during 10 of the 12 years before the Cougars first joined a conference in 1918.

COACH ROSE OWNS TOP MWC MARK

With a 32-8 record in Mountain West Conference games since taking the helm of the BYU program for the 2005-06 season, Dave Rose is currently the winningest MWC coach in league play in the past three years. UNLV's Lon Kruger is 32-12 and SDSU's Steve Fisher is 29-13. In addition to this year's 8-1 MWC record, Rose coached the Cougars to a 13-3 league and 25-9 overall record last year, earning Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. He was named the MWC and USBWA District VIII Coach of the Year in his first season after coaching BYU to a second-place MWC finish at 12-4 while turning a 9-21 team into a 20-9 success--which proved to be the second-best improvement among all Division I programs.

WORTHY OF MENTION

-- BYU's 20-point club this year includes Trent Plaisted, Lee Cummard and Jonathan Tavernari. Cummard has scored 20 points or more in eight games while Plaisted has done so in seven contests and Tavernari on four occasions. Among Plaisted's top scoring nights were 21 points against No. 6 Louisville, 24 points against No. 1 North Carolina, 25 points in BYU's Mountain West Conference opener against Colorado State and a career-high tying 27 points against TCU. Cummard has topped the 20-point mark in three of the last four games and had a career-high 27 points against Lamar. Tavernari totaled a career-best 29 vs. No. 6 Louisville and 25 against CSU.

-- BYU has had 11 individual double-double performances this year with Plaisted accomplishing the feat seven times and Cummard and Tavernari each on two occasions. Cummard became the first Cougar to record a double-double this season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Idaho State. He added his fifth career double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds against Lamar. Plaisted had 21 points and 12 rebounds against No. 6 Louisville before tallying 24 points and 17 rebounds against No. 1 North Carolina. He totaled 14 points and 15 rebounds vs. Weber State and had 18 points and a career-high-tying 18 rebounds against Pepperdine. Plaisted has posted double-doubles in three of the last five games while Tavernari has done so in two of the last three contests.

-- Senior point guard Ben Murdock dished out a personal-best 10 assists with only two turnovers at Portland as the lone Cougar to reach double-digit assists in a game this year. He has dished out five or more assists in a game 10 times this year. He ranks 21st nationally with a 2.61 assist/turnover ratio and has helped BYU rank 16th nationally with 17.7 assists per game as of Feb. 10.

-- Freshman guard Jimmer Fredette has hit from behind the arc in 17 games this season. Fredette is one of four true freshman playing for the Cougars this year, joining forward Chris Collinsworth and guards Michael Loyd and Nick Martineau. Collinsworth has started six games.

COUGARS BY THE NUMBERS

1 Rank of BYU coach Dave Rose's 64 wins and .736 winning percentage among the 18 head coaches who began their first season as a head coach at the Division I level along with Rose in 2005-06. Rose ranks second to only Tennessee's Bruce Pearl (68-21 record) among all coaches who started at a new school in 2005-06.

3 Number of top 10 teams BYU has played this season - then-No. 1 North Carolina, then-No. 6 Louisville and then-No. 9 Michigan State. The Cougars beat the Cardinals, 78-76, before falling, 73-63, to the Tarheels despite battling UNC through six second-half lead changes. BYU held a double-digit halftime lead against the Spartans before losing, 68-61.

5 Number of games in which BYU has scored at least 90 points, the most since 1995-96 when the Cougars also reached 90 points in five games. BYU has not scored at least 90 in six games on the year since 1993-94.

7 Number of statistical categories in which Lee Cummard ranks among the top 10 in the MWC including field-goal percentage (1st - .567), free-throw percentage (3rd - .861), offensive rebounds (2nd - 2.25), scoring (3rd - 16.0), assists (5th - 3.54), total rebounds (T6th - 6.5) and defensive rebounds (9th - 4.21).

8-1 BYU's MWC record so far this season, equaling the Cougars' best league start since 1995 when the Cougars still played in the Western Athletic Conference. If BYU wins on Saturday, its 9-1 record would be the best league start since the 1992-93 season.

8 Number of statistical categories in which a BYU player ranks among the top three in the MWC out of the 12 categories tracked by the league.

10 Number of games in which Lee Cummard has been perfect from the free-throw line out of 17 games in which he taken free throws. Cummard made a career-best 21 straight free throws before missing on his first attempt against San Diego State. He also had a streak of 19 straight earlier this year prior to a miss against Southern Utah. He is shooting 86.1 percent (62-for-72) on the year.

11 Number of points Trent Plaisted needs to surpass Doug Richards to move to 18th on BYU's all-time career scoring list. Plaisted currently has 1,208 career points.

15 Number of times this season BYU has held its opponents under 30 points in the first half. The Cougars have scored at least 30 first-half points in 20 of 24 games this season while racking up halftime leads in 20 of 24 games, including 12 by double digits.

18.1 The Cougars' average margin of victory in their 19 wins this season. BYU has won seven games by more than 20 points, including two by more than 30. The Cougars' 40-point win at Long Beach State to begin the year was BYU's largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent since defeating Morgan State by 41 points (110-69) on Dec. 28, 1995.

19 Number of games in which BYU has led by double digits. The Cougars have also led by at least 20 points in 12 contests and 30 points in four. BYU has led wire-to-wire in 11 games this year.

21 Number of games this season Lee Cummard and Jonathan Tavernari have each made a three-pointer. Sam Burgess has made a trey in 19 of 24 outings this year while Jimmer Fredette has done so in 17 games.

24 Number of starts made this season by Sam Burgess after the senior made just one start in his two prior seasons as a Cougar. Fellow senior Ben Murdock has also started all 24 games after not starting last year in his first season in Provo.

65.1 Percent of BYU field goals created by an assist. If the Cougars maintain their current rate of setting up a teammate's basket, they would set a new program record, topping the 64.7 percent achieved in 1992-93.

81 Number of MWC games BYU has won since the formation of the league prior to the 1999-2000 season, leading all MWC teams. The Cougars are second in overall wins with 181, one victory behind UNLV.

100 Percent of games BYU has won this year when leading with five minutes remaining. The Cougars are 19-0 when ahead on the scoreboard at the 5-minute mark.

DEFENDING THE HOME COURT

With 43 straight wins in the Marriott Center, the Cougars currently own the nation's second-longest active home victory streak, four wins behind No. 1 Memphis. The Cougars are 12-0 at home this year and won 17 home games last season after going 14-1 at home in 2005-06. BYU's last home loss was in the 2005-06 season opener against Loyola Marymount. BYU has since won 23 straight over nonconference opponents and 20 consecutive over MWC foes. BYU's last league loss at home was its season finale in 2005 to UNLV. BYU is 415-116 (.782) all-time in the Marriott Center. A victory on Saturday would tie the program's longest home winning streak, which came from Feb 19, 2000 to Jan 16, 2003 when BYU won 44 straight in the Marriott Center.

Active Homecourt Winning Streaks (As of Feb. 14, 2008)

Wins Team This year Next home game

47 Memphis 15-0 Feb. 23 vs. Tennessee

43 BYU 12-0 Feb. 16 vs. UNLV

ON THE ROAD

The Cougars are 6-3 in true road games this year having won their last four games away from the Marriott Center after a 79-65 victory at Colorado State. With a 1-2 record on neutral courts, BYU is 7-5 this season away from home with a 4-1 record in Mountain West Conference play. BYU won five of its last seven games on the road last season including a win at then-No. 20 Air Force (62-58), snapping the Falcons' 30-game home winning streak. BYU was 6-7 on the road last year and 5-3 in conference play, becoming the only MWC team with a winning record on the road in league play last year.

BOUNCEBACK COUGARS

With the Cougars' 55-52 win at Utah coming on the heels of a loss at UNLV, BYU has bounced back from all five of its losses this season with wins. BYU recovered from a setback against No. 1 North Carolina with a victory at Portland, a loss vs. then-No. 9 Michigan State with a win over Lamar, a loss at Boise State with a triumph against Loyola Marymount and a defeat at Wake Forest with a victory over Colorado State. The Cougars have won their bounceback games by an average margin of 19.4 points. BYU head coach Dave Rose has only lost back-to-back regular-season games once in his Cougar career (vs. then-No. 25 Michigan State and at Lamar in 2006-07).

MAGIC NUMBER: 70

BYU is 16-1 when scoring at least 70 points this year and 15-1 when holding opponents under the 70-point mark while averaging 75.6 points and allowing 64.0 ppg. The Cougars' 55-52 win at Utah marked the first time this season BYU has won a game when scoring less than 70 points. The Cougars have scored 90 or more points in five games this season, reaching 100 against Jackson State, and are 9-0 when scoring over 80 points on the year.

CLEANING THE GLASS

BYU has won the battle of the boards in 18 games this year, going 16-2 in those contests. The Cougars tied an opponent on the boards for the first time this year against SDSU when both the Cougars and Aztecs pulled down 41 rebounds. BYU is besting opponents by an average of 6.3 boards per contest, leading the league in rebounding margin and rebound average (40.1). The Cougars posted a season-high +19 rebounding margin (38-19) against Hartford as four Cougars pulled down at least five rebounds. BYU began the season with a 55-40 rebounding advantage at Long Beach State, matching last year's season high of 55 boards against Seton Hall. Five Cougars posted at least six rebounds in BYU's win over Lamar, marking the first time since Jan. 8, 2005 that feat has been done.

BALANCED SCORING

BYU has had five players score in double figures in a game four times this season, surpassing last year's total of three games in which at least five players reached double digits. Five different Cougars have led the team in scoring this year with Lee Cummard pacing BYU a team-best 13 times.

FOUR FRESHMEN

Four Cougar freshman are making an impact this year as Chris Collinsworth, Jimmer Fredette, Michael Loyd, Jr. and Nick Martineau have all made a difference for BYU. Collinsworth is fourth for BYU with 4.9 rebounds per game while ranking 13th among MWC players in conference play at 5.6 rpg. He has started six games. Fredette is fifth on the team in scoring with 6.7 ppg and third in steals with 21. Loyd is averaging 8.7 minutes per game and has posted 26 assists on the year. Martineau has 14 assists to 7 turnovers in his 16 games played.

FROM DOWNTOWN

After setting a program record with 256 three-pointers last season, the Cougars are on pace to break that record this year having already made 198 treys so far. BYU has posted double-digit triples in a game eight times this year, including 10 at Air Force, 13 against New Mexico, 10 against Colorado State, 10 at Wake Forest, 12 against Loyola Marymount, 11 against Lamar, 12 at Long Beach State and 13 vs. Hartford. The Cougars have made at least five three-pointers in 22 of 24 games this season. The Cougars tied the program record with 33 three-point attempts against Loyola Marymount and recorded the sixth-best three-point shooting percentage in program history with 81.3 percent accuracy (13-of-16) against New Mexico, which is also an MWC record in league games. Individually, Lee Cummard and Jonathan Tavernari have each made a three-pointer in 21 of 24 games this season while Sam Burgess has done so in 19 contests and Jimmer Fredette in 17. Cummard had an 11-game streak with a make from long range, which ranks ninth all-time at BYU, come to an end at Utah, while Tavernari's 12-game streak to begin the year is tied for seventh all-time in BYU history. Tavernari is on pace to break the Cougars' single-season three-point record of 74 with 62 treys so far this season.

BYU IN THE RANKINGS

The BYU men's basketball team fell out of the top-25 polls released on Dec. 31 after a 73-70 road loss at Boise State. This season BYU first entered the national rankings on Nov. 26, earning the program's earliest appearance in the national polls since the 1980-81 season when the Cougars entered the rankings at No. 21 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll. BYU has now been ranked in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1980-81 and 1981-82. Last year, BYU entered the polls on Feb. 19 to receive the program's first national ranking since 1993, finishing the season ranked No. 24 in the final AP Poll, something a Cougar team had not accomplished since 1988. The Cougar basketball program has now been ranked in the AP Poll during 16 seasons since its first national ranking in 1950-51.

PLAYING THE BEST

BYU's game against No. 9 Michigan State on Dec. 8 was its third game in three weeks against a top-10 opponent, including a victory over No. 6 Louisville on Nov. 23 and a loss to No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 24. BYU has played at least three regular-season games against top-10 opponents in a season just six times previously in program history with the last coming in 1983-84. Only twice previously have the Cougars played three top-10 teams during a three-week stretch, once in 1990-91 with a loss to No. 9 Utah on March 2, a win over No. 8 Utah on March 9 in the WAC Tournament and a loss to No. 8 Arizona on March 16 in the NCAA Tournament and once in 1980-81 with a victory over No. 9 Utah on March 7 in the WAC Tournament, a win over No. 10 UCLA on March 14 in the NCAA Tournament, a victory over No. 7 Notre Dame on March 19 in the NCAA Tourney and a loss to No. 5 Virginia on March 21 in the NCAAs.

FOR STARTERS

Seniors Ben Murdock and Sam Burgess along with juniors Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted have started all 24 games this year while sophomore Jonathan Tavernari has made 18 starts and freshman Chris Collinsworth has started six contests.

WINNING WITH ROSE

With a 64-23 record in his third season, BYU coach Dave Rose ranks first in wins and winning percentage among the 18 head coaches who began their first season as a head coach at the Division I level along with Rose in 2005-06. Rose ranks second to only Tennessee's Bruce Pearl (67-21 record) among all coaches who started at a new school in 2005-06. (including games as of Feb. 13)

First-Year Coaches in 2005-06 By Wins

Coach, School Record Percentage

Dave Rose, BYU 64-23 .736

Andy Kennedy, Ole Miss* 59-30 .663

*includes one season as the interim head coach at Cincinnati

Head Coaches in Their First Year With a Program in 2005-06 By Wins

Coach, School Record Percentage

Bruce Pearl, Tennessee 68-21 .764

Dave Rose, BYU 64-23 .736

Tim Floyd, USC 60-33 .645

BYU PLAYER OF THE WEEK

TRENT PLAISTED (FEB. 11) -- Junior forward/center Trent Plaisted scored 27 points on 71.4 percent shooting from the floor and 77.8 percent accuracy at the free-throw line in BYU's 83-72 win last week vs. TCU. Plaisted added four rebounds, two steals, one assist and one blocked shot in his 33 minutes on the floor. He scored a season-best 17 first-half points to lead the Cougars to a 43-35 lead at the break. He added double-digit scoring in the second half as well to equal his career mark with a game-high 27 points. Plaisted finished the night making 10-of-14 field-goal attempts while going 7-for-9 at the charity stripe. He scored 20 or more points for the sixth game this season and 15th time during his career.

PLAISTED IN 1,000 POINT CLUB

With 22 points against Lamar, junior Trent Plaisted became the 37th member of BYU's elite 1,000 Point Club, joining such Cougar greats as Danny Ainge, Michael Smith, Devin Durrant, Fred Roberts, Kresimir Cosic and Andy Toolson to score at least 1,000 points in their Cougar careers. Plaisted now has 1,208 career points, 19th on BYU's all-time scoring list. Before Plaisted, Keena Young was the most recent addition to the club as he posted 1,068 points during his three-year BYU stint from 2005-07. Of four-year players, Plaisted is just the 10th Cougar to reach the 1,000-point milestone as a junior. The last four-year player to reach 1,000 points as a junior was Mark Bigelow with 1,312 following the 2002-03 season. Plaisted also has 627 career rebounds, making him just the 11th player overall to record at least 1,000 career points and 600 career rebounds.

BURGESS COMIN' UP BIG

Senior co-captain Sam Burgess is making the most of his final BYU campaign as he is fourth on the team in scoring (8.7), third in field-goal shooting among players with at least 30 attempts (.436) and third in assists (2.0) while ranking second on the team in three-point shooting (.402). He has increased his scoring total from last season by 5.1 ppg while averaging 16.5 more minutes per game. His 10 double-figure scoring games this year has more than doubled last year's mark of four double-digit scoring outings. Burgess has started all 24 games this season after starting just one game in his two prior seasons as a Cougar. He scored 15 points against New Mexico on 4-for-6 shooting from the field and a 3-for-3 mark from three-point range.

.800 CLUB

BYU boasts four players who are making 80 percent or more of their free-throw attempts this year (Jimmer Fredette, .889; Jonathan Tavernari, .871; Lee Cummard, .861; Sam Burgess, .846). Lee Cummard made a career- and team-season-high 21 straight free throws before missing his first attempt vs. SDSU. He earlier had made 19 straight before a miss against Southern Utah, meaning he had made 40 of 41 attempts (97.6 percent) over that stretch. He has been perfect at the line in 10 of 17 games he has gone to the line this year.

WINNING BIG

The Cougars' 19 victories this year have come by an average margin of 18.1 points, including a season-opening 40-point road win at Long Beach State (74-34), one of 16 double-digit wins for BYU this season and one of seven victories by over 20 points. The win over the 49ers marked BYU's largest margin of victory over a Division I opponent since defeating Morgan State by 41 points (110-69) on Dec. 28, 1995. Including BYU's five losses, the Cougars still boast a scoring margin of 11.5 points this year. BYU won 17 games by double-digits last year, including seven by 20 or more points, and was the only team in the Mountain West Conference to not have a regular-season game decided by less than four points. With an average scoring margin of +9.1 last season, the Cougars posted their largest margin of victory since 1993.

VICTORY STREAK

BYU is currently riding a seven-game win streak, the longest of the season, with victories at Utah, vs. San Diego State, vs. New Mexico, at Air Force, at Wyoming, vs. TCU and at Colorado State. That mark is tied for 12th nationally. A victory over UNLV on Saturday would tie the program's longest win streak under current head coach Dave Rose when the Cougars won eight straight last season.

THIS YEAR'S LOSSES

BYU's five losses this year have come on neutral floors against then-No. 1 North Carolina and No. 6 (then No. 9) Michigan State and on the road at Boise State, at Wake Forest and at UNLV. BYU held double-digit leads over both Michigan State and Boise State and battled the top-rated Tar Heels through six second-half lead changes. North Carolina (23-2), Michigan State (20-4), Boise State (17-6), Wake Forest (14-8) and UNLV (19-5) have a combined 93-25 record for a .788 winning percentage as of games played Feb. 13.

FROM THE FIELD

BYU is shooting 46.4 percent from the field this season while allowing opponents to shoot just 39.0 percent from the floor (No. 1 in the MWC). Overall, the Cougars have shot above 50 percent in 10 games this year. BYU has shot above 50 percent in the first half of eight games this season and in the second half of 12 contests, totaling 20 halves of play with a shooting percentage of 50 percent higher, including six above 60 percent. The Cougars posted a season-high 60.4 percent efficiency against Hartford bolstered by a 63.6 percent second-half shooting mark (14-for-22). Individually, Lee Cummard and Trent Plaisted rank No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, among MWC players in field-goal percentage at 56.8 and 55.6 percent and 35th and 63rd, respectively, in the national rankings as of Feb. 10.

HALFTIME REPORT

The Cougars are 18-2 this season when leading at the half with 12 of the 20 advantages coming by double digits. No. 1 North Carolina, Wake Forest, UNLV and San Diego State are the only teams this season to post a halftime lead against BYU. The Cougars are besting opponents by an average of 7.8 points in the first period of play while scoring at least 40 points in the first half of nine of 24 games this season. BYU has scored at least 30 points in the first half of 20 of 24 games while holding opponents under 30 points 15 times. The Cougars' 36-12 lead at the break at Long Beach State marked their largest halftime advantage since being up by 28 points (51-23) against Western Oregon on Dec. 22, 2006. The 12 points given up by BYU in the first 20 minutes of the game at LBSU marked the fewest points allowed in a half by the Cougars since allowing a record-low 10 points against Air Force in 2003. BYU has topped 40 points in the second half of 11 games this year while surpassing the 50-point mark in the second half four times.

PAINTING THE TOWN

The Cougars have outscored their opponents in the paint in 13 games and equaled them in one other this year, recording a +4.7 margin in that category. BYU has posted a double-digit margin in nine games, including a season-best +38 margin (54-16) against Jackson State. The Cougars are 13-0 when besting opponents in the paint while all five of BYU's losses on the season have come when the Cougars have been outscored in the paint.

MAKING THE MOST OF THE MISCUE

Despite recording a -0.5 turnover margin with their opponents on the year, the Cougars have outscored foes in points off of turnovers in 17 games this season, posting a +4.3 scoring margin in that category. BYU scored a season-best 26 points off of turnovers against Loyola Marymount.

FAST AND FURIOUS

BYU has outscored opponents in transition in 17 games, equaled them three times and been outpaced only four times. The Cougars average 4.6 more fastbreak points than their opponents. The Cougars scored a season-best 20 fastbreak points against Jackson State while tying their season high with a +16 margin. BYU's four deficits in that category came in losses against No. 1 North Carolina (0-4), against No. 9 Michigan State (0-4) and at Wake Forest (0-8) and a win at Air Force (0-2).

FROM THE BENCH

BYU's reserves have outscored the opposition's bench only eight times this year, but they have done it in six of the last 13 games after seven straight contests with a scoring deficit off the bench. On the whole, the BYU bench has outscored opponent reserves by 0.3 points per game this season, tallying 466 points or 19.4 points per game. BYU's leading scorer off the bench is freshman guard Jimmer Fredette, who is averaging 6.7 points per game. He had 10 points against TCU. He stepped up at Wake Forest, tying for team-high honors with 15 points off the bench.

LEADERS OF THE PACK

Including a game-high lead of 19 points at Colorado State, the Cougars have posted a double-digit lead in 19 of 24 games and have led by more than 20 points in 12 games and more than 30 points in four contests. The exception to the double-digit leads came against No. 1 North Carolina when the game-high BYU lead was two points, at Wake Forest when BYU never led, at UNLV when the Cougars' large lead was three points, at Utah when the Cougar game-high lead was seven points and vs. San Diego State when BYU built a six-point advantage. The Cougars have led wire-to-wire in 11 games this season.