Over the past 12 years, BYU and Saint Mary’s have become fierce rivals and they’ve played a bunch of memorable games against each other with plenty at stake.
But in the Cougars’ final trip to Moraga, California, Saturday (8 p.m. MST, ESPN2), they are limping into University Credit Union Pavilion.
“That was difficult to watch; it was difficult to be a part of. It’s going to be difficult for us to digest.” — BYU coach Mark Pope on loss to the Broncos
While the Gaels are in first place in the West Coast Conference standings, ranked No. 17 in the Associated Press poll and No. 7 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, BYU is mired in a three-game losing streak and stuck in a sixth-place tie with San Francisco.
The Cougars are coming off a humbling 81-74 loss at home to Santa Clara. The Broncos led by as many as 20 in the second half.
It marked Santa Clara’s first win in Provo since 1972, snapping an 11-game losing streak during that stretch. It was the Broncos’ first victory at the Marriott Center since BYU joined the WCC in 2012.
“That was difficult to watch; it was difficult to be a part of,” coach Mark Pope said about the loss. “It’s going to be difficult for us to digest.”
As bleak as things look right now for BYU, Pope is optimistic about how his players will perform at Saint Mary’s.
“I have a ton of confidence in this group. I have every expectation that we’ll go down there — it’s the toughest venue in our league this year — and I have every expectation these guys will raise to the challenge in terms of meeting the competitive level,” he said. “They’ll keep growing and learning. That’s what we’re about.
“I have every expectation that we’ll have a great, passionate, intense, heart-felt performance on Saturday against a team that wants to take all that away from you. And they’re really good at it.”
The last time BYU and Saint Mary’s played, in Provo last month, the Cougars nearly knocked off the Gaels.
Saint Mary’s freshman Aidan Mahaney hit a tough, fade-away, game-winning 15-foot jump shot from the right angle.
Mahaney’s shot dropped through the hoop with 0.3 seconds remaining to lift the Gaels to a dramatic 57-56 victory in front of a crowd of 15,843.
In that game, the Cougars played without Jaxson Robinson, Atiki Ally Atiki and Noah Waterman, who was suspended from the game for breaking a team rule.
BYU is hoping to have Rudi Williams Saturday.
Williams, who scored a team-high 20 points against Santa Clara, appeared to have injured his ankle late in Thursday’s game.
Pope said Williams would be evaluated Friday.
The senior helped lead the Cougars’ rally against the Broncos and cut the deficit to seven points in the final two minutes.
“Rudi found a little bit of veteran fight in the first half,” Pope said. “His decision-making was pretty good. But he’s got some physicality to him and a burst of speed to him. He was one of the bright spots (Thursday), for sure.”
Earlier this week, Pope talked with reporters about how he’s taking the “long view” with his young team.
After Thursday’s disappointing loss, Pope said he hopes it motivates his players to work even harder.
“This is super hard. With really good programs, the game changes you as a human being. It makes you steeled and hungry and competitive and relentless,” Pope said. “You’re not just born that way; you become that way.
“In really good programs, you suffer and sacrifice and get beat up your freshman and sophomore years. You start to earn some opportunities your junior year and you become great as a junior and senior because you suffered through that. For us, we don’t get to roll that way this year.
“This is just all guys that are thrown into the fire and they’re having to live through the misery of taking tough losses,” Pope continued. “If you treat it right, it changes you. It’s the greatest gift in sports if you treat it right. If you take the emotion and you carry it and you let it stir around in your insides and you can’t sleep and you fight every day to get better, it really does change you. It’s so painful.
“If you keep looking to lift up your teammates, it has a chance to change you. If you avoid the traps of finger-pointing or bailing and taking the easy way out, it has a real chance to change you … and win games in the future. That’s the hope and I have a lot of trust in these guys.
“We have exceptional young men and I think that’s how they’re going to take it. It’s a miserable experience and there’s no way to hide from it. You don’t want to, actually. You want to let it change you. That’s what I hope is happening now.”
