SAN FRANCISCO — BYU’s Corbin Kaufusi did not make the trip to Pepperdine last Thursday due to illness.
But the 6-foot-10 junior center was back with the team, and back in uniform, for Saturday’s game at San Francisco.
During Kaufusi’s absence at Pepperdine, freshman Payton Dastrup played 12 minutes, shot 2 of 5 from the floor, including a 3-pointer, and recorded one rebound and one steal.
“Payton’s practiced hard all year and deserves an opportunity to play to see what he can do in a game,” said coach Dave Rose. “There are a lot of things we’ve challenged him to do, and he’s been really accountable to those things.”
Meanwhile, senior guard L.J. Rose was scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus Friday. Going into Saturday’s game, no update on Rose’s status was provided.
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR AWARD: BYU forward Eric Mika is one of 10 finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, emblematic of the nation’s top big man.
“It’s kind of funny. My older brother texted me about it and I was like, ‘That’s cool.’ It’s a great honor,” Mika said earlier this week. “I don’t think I’ll ever amount to anything like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball-wise. It’s cool to even be considered to receive an honor from him with guys as good as 1 through 10 on that list. They’re all really talented guys having great years on great teams. For me, it’s definitely cool to be on the list, and I appreciate it. It’s an honor. But right now, I just want to win. No. 1 on my list is to win some more games, and if something like that comes with it, that’s great.”
ONE YEAR AGO: On Feb. 11 last year, when BYU whipped San Francisco, 114-89, guard Nick Emery poured in a BYU freshman-record 37 points, and he tied a school record with 10 3-pointers.
SLOWIN’ THINGS DOWN: The West Coast Conference ranks No. 32 among all leagues in pace.
Since BYU joined the conference in 2011-12, the pace has gotten much slower.
“Gonzaga’s dominated this league for years, and they play so fast. People have tried to play fast with them,” said coach Dave Rose. “When we came into the league, it was a pretty fast league, like 10th or 11th. I believe that’s the effect of people trying to knock them off.”
No. 1 Gonzaga (25-0 overall, 14-0 in the WCC) defeated No. 20 Saint Mary’s Saturday, 74-64, in Moraga.