Twelve years ago, coach Dave Rose’s BYU basketball team took on No. 5 UCLA in a highly anticipated season opener. The Cougars pushed the Bruins, who were led by Russell Westbrook, Nick Collison and Arron Afflalo, to the limit before fading late in an 82-69 loss.
For the first time since that memorable lid-lifter at famed Pauley Pavilion against a team that eventually made it to the Final Four, the Cougars will open a season against a preseason top-10 team. BYU meets Nevada, No. 7 in the AP Top 25 and No. 9 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, on Tuesday at 9 p.