What Kevin Young said following No. 23 BYU’s win over Utah

Kevin Young’s first regular season at BYU is in the books.

Young’s Cougars are heading into the Big 12 tournament on an eight game winning streak, with a 85-74 victory over rival Utah Saturday night the latest highlight of their heater.

“I’m just happy for our four seniors to come out here and get a win, especially against Utah,” Young told reporters after the game. “We felt like we owed them one from what happened up at their place. I’m happy for our guys to send them out of this incredible building on a winning note. Kudos to Utah for playing hard.”

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BYU missed its first 13 attempts from 3-point range before Dawson Baker finally netted one late in the first half. Baker was one of five Cougars to reach double figures in scoring, coming off the bench to lead the team with 15 points thanks to 4 of 7 shooting, including three made triples.

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“We have a lot of depth in our locker room, so on a given night we can have different guys step up and lead us in scoring,” Young said. “Dawson’s a guy who probably deserves more minutes ... that guy can deliver.”

Additionally, following a 29-turnover showing at Iowa State earlier in the week, BYU turned the ball over just 10 times against the Runnin’ Utes.

“After the Iowa State game, that was something we wanted to be better at,” Young said. “The bottom line for BYU basketball is turnover control and rebound control. If we are good in those two areas, I think we can beat anyone in the country.”

Young’s Cougars have gotten hot at the perfect time. In the past month, BYU has picked up five Quad 1 wins and played its way off the bubble, firmly establishing a resumé worthy of a possible 6 or 7 seed in the NCAA tournament.

“I’m proud of the fact that we started out 1-3 and then 2-4 (in conference play) and didn’t melt down,” Young said. “We just came into work every day and tried to be a solution-oriented type of group. It’s a real testament to just staying the course and trying to get better. I know that sounds cliché in sports, but that’s exactly what we did.

“... I never put a benchmark on what I thought we could or couldn’t do. It became pretty obvious for me early on that we could be a good basketball team, and the more I saw other teams in the league and the country, I felt like we have what it takes to be one of the best teams of the country.”