BYU beat Nebraska 72-61 on Friday evening at the Marriott Center, using a 19-10 burst to open the second half and turn a slow start into a win it never gave back. Collin Chandler led the way with 19 points, and BYU’s offense found a second gear after halftime.
That is why the BYU football roster search is getting attention now: this was the latest exhibition look before the season, and it came against a Nebraska team that had gotten the better of BYU last time out. This time, BYU played in front of 15,864 fans, answered with a strong second half and showed enough shot-making to make the result feel like more than a warmup.
Robert Wright added 17 points and seven assists, while Bruce Branch III scored 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and handed out five assists in his unofficial collegiate debut. Jaxson Kohler finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, giving BYU another steady presence around the basket as the team controlled the paint 30-18 and turned 18 Nebraska turnovers into 21 points.
The first half was anything but smooth. BYU shot just 3-for-19 from deep before regrouping and knocking down five 3-pointers in the opening minutes of the second half. That stretch helped flip the game, and BYU’s 12 assists after halftime showed the ball movement that Kevin Young said the team wants to make its identity. He also said BYU is going to be a high-volume 3-point shooting team, and the numbers backed that up even with the uneven shooting line.
BYU finished at 41.3 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from 3 and 58.8 percent from the free throw line, so this was not a polished performance from start to finish. But the response after halftime was decisive, and the opening exhibition win over Nebraska leaves the clearer question for BYU: how much better can this group look when the shots fall early, not just after it adjusts?
