Brigham Young @ Pepperdine preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 30, 2020 ) Pepperdine 80, Brigham Young 107

BYU might still be cleaning up after its raucous celebration from last weekend, when the Cougars snapped Gonzaga’s 40-game winning streak against conference opponents. The 18th-ranked Cougars will need to refocus in time for Saturday’s road game against Pepperdine, which is attempting to defeat a ranked opponent for the first time since beating No. 20 Wisconsin at home in 2004.

Senior forward Yoeli Childs scored 28 points on 12-of-19 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds in the 91-78 victory over then-No. 2 Gonzaga, which committed 14 turnovers and saw its 19-game winning streak come to an end. Childs was named West Coast Conference player of the week after averaging 25 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 51.3 percent from the field in home wins against Santa Clara and Gonzaga. “We’re not satisfied,” BYU guard Jake Toolson told reporters. “We can continue to get better and that’s been our focus all year long. When we’re playing together and we’re fighting for each other, we can win against the best teams in the country. I think that’s going to give us a lot of confidence going forward.” While Gonzaga has clinched the top seed in next week’s WCC tournament, BYU can secure the No. 2 seed with a win at Pepperdine.

TIME: 6 p.m. ET. TV: CBS Sports Network

ABOUT BYU (23-7, 12-3 WCC): The Cougars have won eight straight games and boast a dynamic senior trio of Childs, Toolson and 6-4 guard TJ Haws, who recorded 44 points, 17 assists and six rebounds in last weekend's victories over Santa Clara and Gonzaga. Toolson is fourth in the nation in 3-point shooting percentage (46.2) for the sharp-shooting Cougars, who rank first nationally in 3-point percentage (42.2) and average 10.6 made 3-pointers per game. Coach Mark Pope’s eight-man rotation includes junior guard Alex Barcello, who averages 9.7 points on 49.8 percent shooting.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE (15-14, 8-7): The Waves lost 63-61 in overtime to San Francisco last Saturday despite another stellar effort from junior point guard Colbey Ross, who scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half and leads the team in scoring (20.2) and assists (7.2). Senior forward Kameron Edwards averages 16.7 points and 7.3 rebounds and scored a team-high 20 points in a 107-80 loss to BYU on Jan. 30. Freshman guard Sedrick Altman has played well since moving into the starting lineup seven games ago for Pepperdine, which has have locked in a top-six finish in the conference standings and a first-round bye in the WCC tournament.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. BYU has won four straight and six of its last seven meetings against Pepperdine.

2. The Cougars shot 61.2 percent from the field and 17-of-28 from 3-point range in last month’s win over the Waves.

3. BYU is 21-2 when leading at the half this season.

PREDICTION: BYU 87, Pepperdine 69