PROVO, Utah – For the third time since star Richie Saunders went down, BYU basketball is switching the starting lineup.
BYU basketball head coach Kevin Young is inserting freshman Aleksej Kostic into the starting five against No. 10 Texas Tech.
Young discussed the lineup change in the pregame interview on the BYU Sports Network, heard on KSL NewsRadio.
Kostic has been playing well as of late. The freshman from Austria has scored in double figures in each of BYU’s last three games off the bench.
Kostic has averaged 28 minutes per game over the last three games. BYU has lost all three of these games, typically with the Cougars jumping out to a slow start.
Kostic could provide some more space for BYU basketball stars AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright III, due to his scoring ability.
Aleksej Kostic added to the starting lineup for BYU basketball
The 6-foot-4, 197-pound Kostic has also brought some toughness on the defensive end of the floor for a BYU team that has been struggling on defense since Saunders went down with a season-ending ACL injury.
BYU is looking for its second victory this season over a top-10 opponent as it prepares to host the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Texas Tech defeated BYU earlier this season in Lubbock, 84-71, on January 17. Kostic didn’t log any minutes in that game against the Red Raiders.
BYU enters the game with a 20-10 overall record. The Cougars are 8-9 in Big 12 play and are looking to avoid their first losing season in the Big 12 since joining the league in 2023.
BYU’s last losing record in conference play was in 2023, their final year of the West Coast Conference, which is the only losing conference record for the Cougars in the past 20 years.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYUathletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
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