No. 18 BYU revel in return of 'security blanket' Traore for Big 12 play

PROVO — As BYU basketball sputtered through its second straight loss to start Big 12 play Tuesday at No. 14 Baylor, the Cougars have seen welcome relief on the injury front.

But two steps forward may include a step back, as well.

BYU star power forward Fousseyni Traore, hamstrung by an injury since the day after Thanksgiving, played in his second straight contest for the 18th-ranked Cougars.

Traore totaled 6 points on 2-of-2 shooting with a rebound and an assist in 10 minutes in the 81-72 loss to the Bears at Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas, that dropped the visitors to 12-3 on the year and 0-2 in the top-rated college basketball conference in America.

"We love having him out there," BYU wing Spencer Johnson said. "He's a security blanket; you throw it to him in the post, get the heck out of the way, and let him go score. It's awesome."

The "so-good" feeling was mutual, Traore added, even as he worked through a recovery session with teammates Wednesday afternoon in the Marriott Center Annex before flying Thursday to UCF in Orlando (2 p.m. MST, ESPN+).

Perhaps the biggest issue now is simply time, and figuring out how to allow himself to recovery after playing back-to-back games with eight and nine minutes.

"I'm feeling it little by little," Traore said. "I feel like I'm getting more comfortable with my body."

The 6-foot-6 native of Bamako, Mali, by way of Wasatch Academy still isn't at 100% strength, by his own admission, after his hamstring injury.

But Traore's limited minutes in a 71-60 loss to Cincinnati and an 81-72 loss at Baylor, where the Cougars were outrebounded by a combined margin of 73-70 — including 45-36 by the Bearcats.

But Traore's punch on the glass will undoubtedly help a BYU team that has visibly stuttered at the physical element of the Big 12, where long wings and big posts are a constant in a conference where only Baylor, Texas Tech and Kansas State are unbeaten in league play after one week, following losses by No. 2 Houston and No. 3 Kansas to Iowa State and UCF, respectively.

"They were super physical," Traore said of the Bears. "But I feel like it is what it is; we haven't won yet and like Spencer was saying, the Big 12 is going to be the same exact way (every night). We need to be the same way and come in with the same mindset. We know every single team in the Big 12 is going to be physical, and we've just got to be ready, mentally and physically."

The physical element of Traore's game was one thing that hasn't been lost in a month-long layoff, BYU coach Mark Pope noted, while also adding that Traore, Aly Khalifa (knee) and Atiki Ally Atiki (hand) have yet to play a complete game while each have dealt with their own injury concerns.

"I was really pleased with Fouss," he said. "I thought he was terrific in the minutes he played, really physical down low, and he held his own defensively when they started switching one through five late in the game.

"He's clearly a massively important part of everything we do, and he also gives us a very different approach when he's on the floor than when Aly or Atiki are on the floor. It's not a seamless transition, but it's exciting to see them working between those guys. But there's also a bit of a learning curve."

But injuries continue to hamper the Cougars. Even as Traore made his return to the court, BYU was dealt another blow in Dawson Baker.

The former UC Irvine scoring wing played in three games to end nonconference play while returning from a lingering foot ailment. But the junior from Coto De Caza, California, who averaged 15.3 points per game for the Anteaters played just two minutes against Cincinnati and did not travel with the team to Baylor.

Pope said Baker was seeking several medical opinions on his foot, and that surgery — and an unspoken-but-assumed medical redshirt application that would follow — were a possibility for the 6-foot-4 wing.

"He's got a couple more doctors' appointments, and then we'll try to make a decision," Pope said.

Traore's return, though, is difficult to overstate — especially as he gets closer to playing alongside Khalifa, who continues to lead the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio with 54 dimes to eight giveaways in 12 games.

The physical presence will only help against a team that ranks in the top-15 nationally for disruptions at UCF, forcing 16.8 turnovers per game.

"It's a different beast for us in the sense that we have to do everything we can to make sure we are putting our best possible product on the floor every single night," Pope said. "There's no room to feel sorry for yourself because you got another incredible road game Saturday. But the relentless nature of the league makes it so fun. It's actually really exciting."

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