Busting Brackets
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Big 12 Basketball: Each team’s best acquisition out of 2023 transfer portal

By Jerran Anderson

Michigan center Hunter Dickinson (1) dunks against Toledo forward AJ Edu (15) during the second half of the first round of the NIT at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, March 14, 2023.
Michigan center Hunter Dickinson (1) dunks against Toledo forward AJ Edu (15) during the second half of the first round of the NIT at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. /
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Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images
Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images /

Aly Khalifa – 6’11 Center/Forward – BYU Cougars

The BYU Cougars begin their first season in the Big 12 by bringing along with them Aly Khalifa, formerly of Conference USA’s Charlotte 49ers, to try and turn the tide in the frontcourt for them. The Cougars have missed the last two NCAA Tournaments under head coach Mark Pope as they return two of their top three scorers from a season again.

Khalifa is one of three newcomers out of the transfer portal that will look to make an impact in the frontcourt this upcoming season. He’s the former 2021-22 Conference USA Rookie of the Year that improved his production this past season as a starter in the Charlotte rotation.

He finished with a career-high 11.7 ppg and 6.3 rpg along with 2.7 apg while shooting 38.1 percent from deep and 51.1 percent from the floor in his second season with the 49ers.

Khalifa set his career-high in scoring at 27 points back on March 2 against UTSA, shooting 9-of-13 from the field and made a career-high five 3-pointers on 5-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. He racked up a career-high three double-doubles and is just scratching surface of what he can do on the hardwood.

He’s a sizeable name at 6-foot-11 that’s shown his versatility on the floor as a playmaker out of the post, finisher around the rim and shooter on the floor. His PER of 23.2 ranked eighth in the conference while his offensive rating of 117.6 ranked third. He’s quite an underrated passer to have in the offensive flow of the game.

Khalifa is a matchup problem in the making in the BYU rotation and doesn’t need to command a ton of touches. He’s continued to develop as a two-way presence on the floor and enters his biggest challenge yet as he joins the Big 12 with a new squad.

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