Takeaways from No. 23 BYU's 98-82 win over Queens

PROVO — Through three games in the 2026-27 season, BYU basketball has scored a total of 300 points.

The latest performance was a 98-point win over Queens on Tuesday night.

Some takeaways from BYU’s win, which was played in front of 16,963 fans on a weeknight.

Final: (23) BYU 98, Queens 82

Cougars are 3-0 and have 300 points through the first three games of the season. pic.twitter.com/A089SgL0uA

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 11, 2026

Jaxon Kohler opens the floor so much for BYU basketball

Michigan State transfer big Jaxon Kohler was a standout on Tuesday night for BYU.

Kohler finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, and two assists in the win over the Royals.

BYU head coach Kevin Young said throughout the offseason that he wanted a big with a very specific skill set and that he was going to add him to this year’s team.

Kohler checked all the boxes, particularly his ability to knock down outside shots, which opens the floor for Rob Wright III to distribute the ball and operate in the paint.

Nate Pickens is finding his role within the BYU program

After missing all of last season due to an ankle injury, Pickens has wasted no time providing a spark to this BYU team off the bench.

Pickens finished with 15 points and knocked down three 3-pointers in the win.

The performance from Pickens, a 6-foot-3, 193-pound guard, highlighted why his season-ending ankle injury was another example of all the injury hits BYU dealt with last season.

The former UC Riverside transfer missed all of last season due to an ankle injury. He’s knocked down at least one 3-pointer in each of BYU’s first three games, but it’s his defensive intensity in the backcourt that gives BYU a different wrinkle than what they have had the first two years under head coach Kevin Young.

Limited Queens in the paint, but the Royals caught fire from three

In Queens’ two wins this season against Winthrop and LMU, they scored more than 50 points in each of those games. Kevin Young emphasized taking away the paint from the Royals.

Mission accomplished for BYU in holding the Royals to only 24 points. But on the flip side, Queens made it interesting in stretches of the second half due to their hot shooting from 3-point range.

Queens knocked down a season-high 14 threes on Tuesday, one more than they had hit in the past two games.

Next up

BYU continues its four-game homestand as they welcome the Montana State Bobcats from the Big Sky Conference to the Marriott Center on Thursday night. Montana State is currently ranked at No. 130 in the KenPom ratings.

Queens plays its first home game of the season this Saturday, taking on Wofford.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL 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 BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

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