The massive Kevin Young adjustment that helped BYU slow Christian Anderson down

For most of this season, BYU basketball was viewed as a potential title contender, both in the Big 12 and nationally. However, the season-ending injury to star guard Richie Saunders changed everything, and BYU has been in a massive slump ever since losing its captain.

The Cougars picked up a massive win on senior night to stop the bleeding, knocking off No. 10 Texas Tech 82-76. Saunders was celebrated pregame, and his team backed him up with a massive victory.

Of course, Texas Tech is dealing with a major injury of its own as star big man JT Toppin went down with a torn ACL in mid-February. That leaves point guard Christian Anderson as the lone star player for the Red Raiders, but BYU still couldn’t stop him early on.

Then, BYU head coach Kevin Young made a major adjustment. He opted to put more size, namely center Keba Keita, on Anderson in a somewhat unorthodox move, but it worked. The Texas Tech offense scored just 30 points in the second half after dropping 46 in the opening 20 minutes. After the game, Young commented on the bold decision that paid off in the win.

Kevin Young on the difference it made switching Keba Keita onto Christian Anderson:

“All the difference in the world. Anderson is a very skilled basketball player. He’s one of the most skilled guards in all of college basketball. He’s a tough cover. We basically had to go to it,… pic.twitter.com/l6TJij7wld

— Ben Criddle (@CriddleBenjamin) March 8, 2026

“(The switch made ) all the difference in the world,” Young said. “Anderson is a very, very skilled basketball player. He’s one of the most skilled guards in all of college basketball. He’s a tough cover. … We basically had to go to it, to be honest with you, and Keba answered the call. Obviously, what Khadim (Mboup) did too. The combination of those guys, their size, their ability to move their feet, and contest. It charged the game.”

It was an impressive feat for Keita, who is much bigger than Anderson but was still able to stay in front of him for the most part and be disruptive. The star guard still finished the day with 23 points and nine assists, playing all 40 minutes in the process, but the downturn from the offense as a whole in the second half was enough to allow BYU to come back and get the win.

The Cougars will now head to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament as the No. 10 seed, where they will play Kansas State in the first round on Tuesday. A win there would send them to the second round against West Virginia.

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