PROVO — Coming off the biggest home win of the year, the BYU men’s basketball team is preparing for the biggest game of the year Thursday night.

At least, if you believe in national rankings.

No. 4 Gonzaga (19-2, 6-0 West Coast Conference) will make its lone visit to the Marriott Center for a 9 p.m. MST tipoff Thursday (ESPN2, KSL Newsradio), ready to face a team that is tied for second in the WCC.

Yeah, it’s a big game.

Is it the biggest game of the year? That’s likely.

But is it the best team to ever visit the Marriott Center? That’s certainly debatable, at least.

The Cougars (13-9, 5-2 WCC) have hosted top-10 opponents before; Wake Forest, Baylor and San Diego State in the days of Jimmer Fredette come to mind.

But the Zags present a separate challenge.

“I’m personally excited and ready to go,” BYU coach Dave Rose said after practice Wednesday. “It’s hard to schedule really good teams to come play in the Marriott Center, and this is by requirement.”

After struggling early in the season, including an 8-7 record in non-conference play, BYU is hitting its stride. Everything came together one week ago in a 71-66 upset win over Saint Mary’s, when Yoeli Childs posted his 12th double-double of the season and TJ Haws went off for 17 points and seven assists.

Stars played like stars against the Gaels, BYU got a big assist from its defense, and freshmen started to look like ... well, not freshmen.

It’s a good time to find a run of form at home, Childs said.

“We’ve been through a lot of adversity, and a lot of ups and downs,” the Bingham High product added. “But I think we’re hitting our stride right now and it’s a great time to hit it. I’d rather hit our stride now than early in the season. It’s a great time to be on the up.

“I love the positivity right now, I love the culture, and I think we’re ready to go.”

But the Zags present a completely different challenge than any other teams in the West Coast Conference.

Gonzaga is led by national player of the year candidate Rui Hachimura, the 6-foot-8, 230-pound native of Toyama, Japan, who averages 19.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game for a team that spent several weeks of the preseason at No. 1 in the country.

But Hachimura is just one of four players who scores in double figures, with Corey Kispert close to joining them at 9.1 points per game.

The engine of the Zags’ offense may be Josh Perkins, a senior guard who averages 11.0 points and 6.6 assists per game, while 6-foot-8 Phoenix native Brandon Clarke patrols the paint with 16.3 points and 3.1 blocks per game.

“I think it all starts with Josh Perkins, a four-year guy who it seems has been around forever,” Rose said. “I think he’s long, and his ability to cover a lot of ground has these guys all playing — playing together and playing hard.”

Perhaps it’s no wonder that Gonzaga opened as a 14-point favorite in Las Vegas.

But then there’s also that win over Saint Mary’s, and a starting lineup that has jelled over the past five games, including a big assist from the defensive pressure of McKay Cannon and Luke Worthington.

It all added up to last week’s win over the Gaels. Can it do the same against the Zags?

“Any win in this league is big for us, but especially now it’s big to give us confidence and momentum heading into Gonzaga,” Haws said. “Hopefully that shows tomorrow night.”

Hardnett’s back

Former starting point guard Jahshire Hardnett will return to BYU’s active roster against the Zags.

The 6-foot, 185-pound native of Gulfport, Mississippi, missed the past five games with a hand injury, but he averaged 10.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game when he was healthy, including 17 points to pace a 90-87 win at Pacific shortly before his absence.

“I don’t know how much he’ll play, but he’ll play tomorrow,” Rose said of Hardnett. “He had a really good practice yesterday.

“He wants to play, and I want him to play. We’ll get him out there and see what he can do.”

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