Egor Demin Shines As BYU Cruises Past Central Arkansas In Opener
Nov 5, 2024, 9:02 PM | Updated: 11:14 pm
BYU basketball freshman Egor Demin Shined in the season-opening win over Central Arkansas. (Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
(Brice Tucker, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – The Kevin Young era for BYU basketball tipped off on Tuesday in the backdrop of Election Night.
The near sellout crowd at the Marriott Center likely came away ready to submit write-in votes for freshman Egor Demin.
Final: BYU 88, Central Arkansas 50
Egor Demin’s stats
18 points
11 assists
4 rebounds
4 steals#BYUHoops pic.twitter.com/WKLjUDEMyb— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 6, 2024
Demin shined in his BYU debut, scoring 18 points, dishing out 11 assists, grabbing four rebounds, and recording four steals as BYU defeated Central Arkansas 88-50 to open the 2024-25 season.
It was the first time a BYU player dished out 11 assists or more in his Cougar debut.
Central Arkansas head coach John Shulman witnessed another dazzling BYU freshman performance. The last time Shulman was on a coaching staff that faced BYU in the Marriott Center was when he was an assistant at East Tennessee in 1990.
In that game, BYU freshman Shawn Bradley shined, scoring 23 points, grabbing 15 rebounds, and blocking four shots.
Demin isn’t 7-foot-6 like Bradley, but seeing the 6-foot-9 guard operate shows you why, like Bradley, he could be a top NBA draft prospect.
BYU finished the game shooting 46% from the field, compared to Central Arkansas’s 34%. The Cougars averaged 1.294 points per possession in the season-opening win.
Starting Lineup
BYU started the season by rolling with a starting five that consisted of Egor Demin, Trevin Knell, Richie Saunders, Kanon Catchings, and Keba Keita.
First Half
14:32 – BYU attempted nine three-point attempts in the opening minutes of the Kevin Young era. Egor Demin was on the attack, attempting three 3-pointers and knocking down two.
The game’s first bucket was from Trevin Knell, who knocked down a three.
Kanon Catchings also had a notable block. Coaches have consistently said they want to see Catchings continue to evolve on the defensive end.
Central Arkansas was making it tough on BYU by hitting five of their first eight field goal attempts. BYU 11, Central Arkansas 10
11:14 – Central Arkansas only trailed by two despite going on a three-minute drought. BYU had a drought of 2:53 as well.
The first players off the bench for BYU in Kevin Young’s rotation were Mawot Mag and Fousseyni Traore. After another 90 seconds, Elijah Crawford and Dawson Baker checked into the game.
Kanon Catchings on the defensive end is where #BYU coaches want to see him evolve this season. Nice start in the opening minutes with a blocked shot.#BYUHoops
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 6, 2024
After Baker and Crawford checked in, BYU didn’t score. BYU 16, UCA 14
9:10 – Mihailo Boskovic, who the NCAA cleared, checked into the ball game with Demin and Keita. BYU had missed six of its last seven field goal attempts. BYU 21, UCA 15.
7:48 – BYU’s defense started to put the clamp down on the Bears. UCA committed six turnovers in the past five minutes.
On the offensive end, BYU got back in a flow with Demin at point. He had a strong take to the rim for an and-one opportunity. Demin missed the free throw, but Keba Keita was there for the putback slam dunk. Another impressive display of athleticism from the former Utah Ute. BYU 27, UCA 15.
Whoa. Keba Keita with a putback slam dunk off a missed free throw.#BYUHoops
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 6, 2024
5:29 – Egor Demin jumped in the passing lane and generated a steal. He got out on a fastbreak and had the vision to see Fousseyni Traore on trailing. BYU was up to a 15-2 run, forcing first-year UCA head coach John Shulman to burn a timeout. BYU 33, UCA 17.
3:52 – Mihailo Boskovic displayed a nice touch on a floater for his second field goal. BYU 35, UCA 22.
2:00 – BYU’s lineup to close out the half was Demin, Knell, Saunders, Catchings, and Traore. BYU 38, UCA 22.
Halftime: Egor Demin closed out the first half with a quick five-point burst, first with a slam dunk, slicing through the defense in the middle of the paint, then knocking down a deep three.
The Cougars finished the first half on an 11-1 run. BYU 46, UCA 23.
Second Half
16:30 – In the first offensive series, Egor Demin dished an alley-oop to Kanon Catchings. Catchings on the following possession buried a three, followed by Richie Saunders hitting from beyond the arc.
Demin then popped off a quick five-point burst, forcing UCA to burn a timeout before the media break, when he hit his fourth three of the night. Then he quickly picked off another steal that led to a fastbreak slam dunk. BYU 59, UCA 29
14:54 – Free Chick-fil-A! Central Arkansas forward Nehemiah Turner missed two free throws in front of The ROC, giving BYU fans free Chick-fil-A. BYU 61, UCA 31.
11:31 – BYU continued to let the threes fly. They were up to 13 three-point attempts in the second half at this point, 36 for the game. BYU hit 12 to this point of the game. BYU 67, UCA 36.
7:31 – Mihailo Boskovic earned a loud applause from BYU fans after an impressive reverse layup. Boskovic arrived on campus in September and is already making an impact in Young’s rotation. He’s only going to get better over the course of this season.
The video board cameras panned on BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff, who was here with BYU softball player Jaelynn Lambert. When the camera panned on Retzlaff, he was singing along to Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone.” BYU 76, UCA 41.
#BYU QB Jake Retzlaff taking in another night of #BYUhoops.
When the camera focused on him, he was singing along to Kelly Clarkson’s Since U Been Gone.#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/YpFODZZgA0
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 6, 2024
6:04 – BYU’s Egor Demin and Keba Keita checked back into the game. They were on the court with Kanon Catchings, Trevin Knell, and Mihailo Boskovic. BYU 78, UCA 44.
3:46 – Kanon Catchings has a smooth three-point shot. BYU 84, UCA 44.
Final: BYU 88, Central Arkansas 50
Up Next
BYU basketball continues on its season-opening five-game homestand on Friday night against UC Riverside. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and KSL NewsRadio.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
