BYU Basketball: 2019-20 keys for Cougars to defeat San Diego State

RENO, NV - NOVEMBER 06: TJ Haws #30 of the Brigham Young Cougars has a talk with a referee during the game between the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Brigham Young Cougars at Lawlor Events Center on November 6, 2018 in Reno, Nevada. (Photo by Jonathan Devich/Getty Images) /

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DURHAM, NC – NOVEMBER 11: Head coach Mark Pope of the Utah Valley Wolverines reacts during their game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 11, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

BYU Basketball takes on an old Mountain West rival in San Diego State. What are the keys for the Cougars to get the upset win?

Rivalries are some of the best traits of college athletics. But nearly a decade ago, conference realignment discontinued many of the high-profile matchups. One of them was between BYU Basketball and San Diego State, who at the time were two of the top mid-majors in all of NCAA Basketball.

One of the most memorable games between these programs was in 2011 when Jimmer Fredette dropped 43 points at home to beat Kawhi Leonard and the Aztecs in a battle of top-10 teams. It was the final season in the Mountain West for the Cougars, moving to the WCC for the Olympic sports while becoming an independent for football. They didn’t play until just last year, with San Diego State taking care of BYU, 90-81.

Both teams look different heading into this year, each coming off season-opening wins. San Diego State took care of Texas Southern, 77-42 while BYU handled Cal State Fullerton by a final margin of 76-58. But after essentially a warmup to start the season off, things heat up for both teams in what should be a consequential game.

While BYU and San Diego are both projected top-3 teams in their respective conferences, they’ll likely have to grab an at-large bid to make the NCAA Tournament. And as mid-majors, games like this are incredibly important to win to improve their resumes.

San Diego State has the edge on paper but BYU has the homecourt advantage to lean on. Here are the keys for the Cougars to beat their old Mountain West foe.