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It was almost 40 years ago that Weber State visited the Marriott Center for the first time. On Nov. 30, 1973, with the building barely two years old, BYU defeated the visiting Wildcats 77-76.
Weber State has faced BYU in Provo 18 times since, and have never come closer to beating the Cougars than that one-point loss. BYU is 19-0 all-time against the Wildcats on the Marriott Center hardwoods--a streak the Cougars seek to extend to 20 games in the regular season-opener for both teams Friday night.
"Any team that comes in here," said BYU guard Tyler Haws on Thursday, "we expect to get a win. I feel like we have great fans and it's a great atmosphere, and we love the home court advantage."
In addition to its run if perfection in Provo, Dave Rose's team is also on a current 10-game win streak that includes five consecutive victories at the Dee Events Center. It's a stretch made more remarkable by how consistently good the Wildcats' program has been over most of the last decade.
"I think (head coach Randy Rahe) has got the makings of a really good club," said Rose after practice on the eve of Friday's opener, "and he's going to have a fun year, but he has had a lot of fun years--he has won a lot of games up there."
"I really like their athleticism. Their guards and their wings are long, they're quick; really good driving the ball to the basket. I think Randy's got himself a great roster of players."
Haws, who scored 23 points in a 10-point win at Weber State last season, said "I think we're ready for the challenge," of facing the Big Sky Conference favorites, coming off a 30-win campaign. "We're looking forward to the challenge of a good team coming in here. I think our guys are ready--all the young guys are excited and ready for that experience."
Rose did not commit to a starting lineup on Thursday, but noted that the Wildcats "will probably start two big guys, so that may be a factor." If BYU were to start with a traditional two-big lineup to counter, expect Nate Austin and freshman Eric Mika to comprise the Cougar front-court.
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The start of the new season brings with it new rules, among them regulations designed to crack down on hand-checking and other illegal contact by defenders.
"We've addressed it a lot," said Rose, "and we've tried to simulate it some in practice."
"The bottom line is it's up to the officials--they're going to kind of decide how the game is going to be called, and the players are going to have to react to it. I believe that everyone will get this figured out pretty quick--at least that's what I hope."
Haws seems relived to have some potential help in creating freedom on the offensive end. The junior shooter was a target of constant physical jostling last season, and was visibly frustrated at times.
"It makes the game a little bit different," Haws said of the new rules, "but I think in some regard, it will help me on the offensive end."
"I feel like guys always have two hands on me, so hopefully we'll notice a little bit of a difference."
Haws said having returned missionary Kyle Collinsworth on the floor will also make a difference in 2013-14.
"Kyle's a play-maker, and he makes everyone else around him better when he's playing the right way. They're going to have to guard him a certain way, which I think frees me up a little bit, to do my thing."
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BYU has never opened the season with Weber State before; in fact it's been 24 years since BYU last hosted Weber State before December.
Rose said that scheduling an in-state season-opener "was similar to what happened a couple of years ago with Utah State; (it was) the only date that we could actually find that worked for both of us."
"When you play these games, you want to have your students here, and so when you take those (school-break) dates out, it makes it pretty tough to schedule, so this is what worked out the best."
Rose hinted that we could see a similar situation next season, although both program would like to avoid facing each other in the first game of the season.
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Friday night's game tips at 7:00 p.m., with pregame coverage starting at 6:00 on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM. The game can also be heard on ksl.com and byucougars.com.
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Mountain View (AZ) HS power forward Payton Dastrup, who listed BYU among four finalists in his list of college destinations, announced Thursday evening that he will attend Ohio State University, choosing the Buckeyes program over BYU, Virginia and Florida.
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