PROVO — During No. 17 BYU’s current eight-game winning streak, the Cougars have enjoyed a handful of blowout victories, a dramatic home win over Saint Mary’s, a nail-biting one-point road victory at San Diego and, last Saturday, a memorable upset of then-No. 2 Gonzaga.
Yes, it’s been a great month for BYU basketball. Because of that streak, the Cougars have jumped into the national rankings for the first time in nine years.
The streak began Jan. 30 against Pepperdine — the same foe BYU will face Saturday (4 p.m. MST, CBS SN) on the road in its regular-season finale.
But the streak also came on the heels of a heartbreaking 83-82 setback on Jan. 25 at San Francisco, where the Cougars built a 14-point second-half lead only to watch the Dons go on a shocking 21-0 run to take the lead and hold on for the win.
Turns out, it was a defining moment of the season for BYU.
“It gave us a chance to recommit and refocus and ask ourselves, ‘What do we want?’ We were fortunate that we knew that we had so much to play for and so much ahead of us. We’ve been able to rally,” said senior guard Jake Toolson. “It was the middle of the season and a lot of times, a loss like that will break a team. But we came together and said that we weren’t going to let that determine the outcome of our season.
“We had too much on the table to let one loss where we let it get away from us turn into multiple losses. We’ve done that all year long. We don’t let one loss turn into two.”
“We learned a lot from that game. We made some huge improvements to our team,” said senior guard TJ Haws. “Sometimes a loss can be very beneficial for a team. In this case, we’ve made some big changes and we got a lot better from that.”
Now, days after knocking off the Zags in one of the biggest wins in school history, BYU is refusing to become complacent.
“As great as the Gonzaga win was, we never set out to just beat Gonzaga. We want more,” Toolson said. “If we’re just sitting around thinking about Gonzaga, we’re not going to be doing all the things that have given us a chance to win the next game. I’m excited for Saturday.”
Over the past eight games, BYU has needed a little late-game magic, such as Haws’ game-winning 3 to knock off Saint Mary’s with nine seconds left and Haws’ game-winning alley-oop to Yoeli Childs with 11 seconds remaining against San Diego.
What’s been the key to this eight-game streak?
“It’s coming every single day and trying to get better. We’re not satisfied with the winning streak. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves,” Toolson said. “We’re trying to do it every day. I think the result of that is the eight-game streak. We’re focused on the process, not necessarily the results. The results are great because we’re focusing on the little things.”
What has coach Mark Pope learned about his team during this streak?
“I’ve learned that our locker room is pretty good. I wish we had another month because we keep getting better,” he said. “These guys have given me a lot of trust and I’m trusting them more also. That process is ongoing.
“As a coach and as a team, you’re always trying to avoid the pitfalls that are ahead. These guys have done a good job of doing that as a team, anticipating what the challenges are ahead of them. They’ve earned a lot of trust from me in that way.”
The Cougars (23-7, 12-3) are looking to extend their eight-game streak Saturday against the Waves (15-14, 8-7).
Haws likes how his team has responded so consistently throughout the season and he’s hoping for more of the same moving forward.
“This team hasn’t looked too far ahead,” he said. “Heading down to the end of the season, we’ve got to keep getting better. That’s what’s gotten us to this point. It’s what’s going to help us down the stretch.”
Cougars on the air
No. 17 BYU (23-7, 12-3)
at Pepperdine (15-14, 8-7)
Saturday, 4 p.m. MST
Firestone Fieldhouse
TV: CBS SN
Radio: 1160 AM, BYU Radio