WCC’s smaller gyms new test for Cougars

The Brigham Young basketball team can tear a page from the "Wizard of Oz" when it comes to playing games at the spacious Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.

Tap their blue-and-white sneakers together and repeat, "There's no place like home."

BYU has won 91 percent (146-14) of its home games in the last decade, including a 7-1 record this season. After a 73-65 West Coast Conference road win over Loyola Marymount on Thursday night, the Cougars (13-4, 2-1) host San Francisco at 3 p.m. Saturday in a game to be aired on BYUtv (Cable 352).

The Dons (10-6, 0-2) play their home games in War Memorial Gymnasium, which opened in 1958 and has a seating capacity of 4,800. It's one of the larger arenas in the conference, along with Gonzaga's 6,000-seat McCarthey Athletic Center and San Diego's Jenny Craig Pavilion (5,100 capacity), but a far cry from BYU's 22,700-seat Marriott Center.

One of the challenges for BYU and its league opponents is to adjust quickly to the settings. The Cougars must adapt to smaller, high school-like gyms on the road, while the rest of the league must deal with the vastness of the Marriott Center.

San Diego was the first WCC team to get a taste of the Marriott Center, and the Toreros made just one field goal in the first 10 minutes of a New Year's Eve game. They shot better in the second half but still were routed, 80-52.

"I think our guys played a little scared," San Diego coach Bill Grier said.

Two days earlier, BYU struggled to make baskets against Saint Mary's inside the much smaller confines of McKeon Pavilion (3,500-seat capacity) in Moraga, Calif. The Gaels stunned the Cougars, 98-82.

■ OLD FOES -- BYU and San Francisco will meet for the 11th time Saturday, with the teams splitting the first 10 games.

The first meeting was Dec. 20, 1946, in Reno. The Cougars beat the Dons 45-36 before losing to host UNR 50-32 in the Reno Tournament championship.

■ CATCHING ON -- Freshman point guard Matt Carlino graduated from high school after his junior year and signed with UCLA. Without playing in a regular-season game for the Bruins, Carlino transferred to BYU. He became eligible for the Cougars on Dec. 17 and has scored in double figures in six of his first eight games.

"He is progressing really well," coach Dave Rose said. "Most transfers have played for somebody else and they come and adjust to your system. Matt didn't do that. He is just trying to learn the ropes and learn our system at the same time."

■ TOP CATS -- The Cougars are ranked No. 1 in the men's preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. BYU was the coaches' pick to win the highly competitive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, which includes the likes of Southern California, UCLA and Stanford.

"I'm absolutely thrilled," first-year coach Chris McGown said. "The guys have looked good in practice, and I'm excited to be part of it."

McGown is the son of BYU volleyball pioneer Carl McGown, who transformed the program from a club sport into a national power. He won 225 games and two national championships in 14 seasons before retiring as coach in 2002. He continues to work with the Cougars as a volunteer assistant.

BYU's top player is sophomore All-America outside hitter Taylor Sander, who spent the summer playing for the U.S. national team at the FIVB Men's Junior World Championships in Brazil.

"It helped me set new goals," Sander said of the experience. "I want to be a better passer and setter and got to see myself go up against some of the greatest players in the world."

The Cougars, who open the season today against UC Irvine at the E-Bar Tournament in Santa Barbara, Calif., have more players from Las Vegas on its roster than any other city -- senior Joe Kauliakamoa (Palo Verde High) and freshmen Leo Durkin (Centennial) and Price Jarman (Bonanza).

Dave McCann is a morning news anchor on KLAS-TV (Channel 8). He hosts "True Blue" at 5 p.m. Monday on BYUtv (Cox 352), is the play-by-play voice for BYUtv and hosts "Cougar Countdown" on BYU Radio. He can be reached at dmccann@8newsnow.com or follow him on Twitter at davemccann8.