BYU basketball: Unbeaten Cougs to host Weber St.

PROVO — A little more than two weeks into the college basketball season and sporting a 4-0 mark, the BYU Cougars are either very good or just haven't really been tested.

The closest game the Cougars have had was a 70-60 victory over Bradley. They beat Hawaii by 18 points, Idaho State by 34 and Southern by 56.

Over the next few weeks, however, BYU is expecting its games to be a lot closer — beginning with Weber State tonight at the Marriott Center and Utah State next week in Logan. Both should be fueled with in-state-rivalry energy, and both should be measuring sticks as to exactly where the Cougars stand right now.

"We know that both teams coming up are really good, and it's a good opportunity for us to get better," Cougar co-captain Lamont Morgan Jr. said.

In BYU's game Tuesday night at the Marriott Center, the Cougars improved in three areas of focus for coach Dave Rose. They boarded better, outrebounding the Jaguars by 20, they defended better, with 17 steals, and forced Southern into 22 turnovers. They shot 54 percent from the floor and 57 percent from 3-point range.

"I'm glad to see us shoot the ball well from the perimeter in the Marriott Center," Rose said following the Cougars' second-straight game of shooting better than 50 percent.

But depth continues to be the trademark of this BYU team — as Tuesday's 48 points off the bench attests. Brandon Davies came off the chairs to grab a team-high eight rebounds, Morgan had a career-high seven assists in a reserve role, Michael Loyd came in with two quick treys in two attempts, and Noah Hartsock scored eight points and pulled down five boards.

"Noah has been really consistent in his game the last five games or so. He's come in and done what we've expected him to do. When you keep playing like that, you're going to get more and more minutes," Rose said.

The Cougars have also been getting solid play from the three spot, which was really the Cougars' only question mark entering the year. Freshman Tyler Haws has started the past two games, with Charles Abouo (11 points against Southern) providing a nice spark off the bench.

"We're still trying to settle in on what's the best combination there ... but I don't know if it's that big of a deal to us as coaches, because I do know that we're getting great numbers from that position. You take what Lee (Cummard) gave us last year, and now you take what Charles and Tyler are giving us as a combination, and we really haven't missed a beat," Rose said.

The Cougars don't seem too worried about the ease of their wins so far affecting their preparation for the tougher games that lie ahead.