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San Diego • There are all kinds of reasons why Kyle Collinsworth is on the verge of breaking the NCAA college basketball single-season record for triple-doubles, but BYU's ultra-versatile junior point guard rarely mentions the obvious ones.
Instead, he credits his teammates.
"I don't get assists without them," Collinsworth notes.
He would also trade all four of his triple-doubles — tied with four others for most ever in one season — for a few more wins and the chance to play in the NCAA tournament, an opportunity that seems to be slipping away from the 15-6 Cougars, who once again find themselves on the Big Dance bubble.
BYU, 5-3 in the West Coast Conference, plays at San Diego on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.), after last week's disappointing 82-77 loss at Saint Mary's.
Only Stephane Lasme of UMass (2006-07), Cal's Jason Kidd (1993-94), Drexel's Michael Anderson (1985-86) and Brian Shaw of UC Santa Barbara (1987-88) have recorded four triple-doubles in one season.
Prior to this season, only Kresimir Cosic, Danny Ainge, Fred Roberts and Michael Smith had recorded triple-doubles at BYU, and those four greats only had once apiece.
"Obviously, it would be an honor [to break the record]," Collinsworth said. "There are great names on that list. I try not to think about it too much. It would be awesome. It would be a great honor."
A triple-double occurs when a player records double-digit figures in three statistical categories, usually points, rebounds and assists.
Collinsworth can't go anywhere these days without hearing the words after he posted his first one on Dec. 6 at EnergySolutions Arena against Hawaii: 19 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
He hasn't bothered to research the record, look it up on Google or the old-fashioned way — an NCAA basketball almanac or the BYU basketball media guide — "because everybody else has already done it for me," he said.
"I am just like, 'great,' " he said. "I don't want to think about it too much, because when you think about it, you lose what you had. I just play hard, and sometimes at the end of the night I am lucky enough to have a triple-double. Sometimes I don't have one. So, I just play my game."
What's the recipe for a triple-double? Collinsworth has the ability, obviously, but he also finds himself in a perfect position to get them.
First, he's an excellent rebounder for a 6-foot-6 player, "one of the most gifted rebounders, for his size, that I have seen play for us," said coach Dave Rose. "He has great timing, great anticipation. He can rebound outside his area, because he can read where balls are going."
Because BYU's best rebounder and only reliable inside player, Nate Austin, has been injured since Dec. 10, Collinsworth has had to play down low on defense and hasn't had as much competition for boards from his own teammates. He's had seven double-digit rebounding games since Austin tore a hamstring.
"I have always just had a knack for rebounding, I guess," he said. "So that's just my mindset, is rebound, rebound, rebound. When I do that well, everything else just falls into place."
Second, the Cougars play at the 10th-fastest pace in the country, and are leading the nation in scoring at 86.5 points per game. That's a lot of possessions to score points and rack up assists and rebounds, especially for a player with the basketball in his hands most of the time.
Third, Collinsworth has improved his free-throw shooting, developing that weapon while rehabbing from a torn ACL last March, when he couldn't do much else on the court. He's raised his 57-percent free-throw completion percentage as a sophomore to 74 percent this year.
Of all his accomplishments this year, Collinsworth said he is most proud of the fact that he is a better all-around player after not being able to do much in the offseason.
"There are times that I can feel in my game that I didn't have an offseason, just some moves and some things I normally do a little better," he said. "But it is all coming back and I am looking forward."
Fourth — and this is the one that Collinsworth never fails to mention — is that he's surrounded by some great scorers and shooters such as Tyler Haws, Chase Fischer and Anson Winder. Haws will likely lead the WCC in scoring for the third straight year, and is No. 3 in the country, with a 22.5 average.
"Credit to my teammates and coaches," Collinsworth said after his fourth triple-double last week, against Pacific. "I just play my game, and with the great shooters we have, and the great chemistry, it just works out that I get triple-doubles."
Twitter: @drewjay —
Collinsworth's 2014-15 triple-doubles
Date Opponent Pts. Reb. Ast.
Dec. 6 Hawaii 19 12 10
Dec. 27 Gonzaga 13 10 10
Jan. 3 San Francisco 12 12 10
Jan. 15 Pacific 17 11 11 —
NCAA players with four triple-doubles in a season
Player School Season
Kyle Collinsworth BYU 2014-15
Stephane Lasme UMass 2006-07
Jason Kidd California 1993-94
Brian Shaw UCSB 1987-88
Michael Anderson Drexel 1985-86 —
BYU at San Diego
P At Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego
Tipoff • 2 p.m.
TV • TWC, ROOT Sports
Radio • 1160 AM, 102.7 FM
Records • BYU 15-6, 5-3 WCC; San Diego 9-11, 2-6 WCC
Series history • BYU leads 8-2
Last meeting • BYU 78, USD 70 (March 4, 2014)
About the Toreros • They are coming off a 59-57 loss at Pacific. … Senior G Johnny Dee leads them in scoring with a 17.5 average and is the only player averaging double figures. … Senior G Christopher Anderson averages 8.7 points and 6.5 steals per game. … They are holding opponents to 62.8 points per game.
About the Cougars • They are coming off an 82-77 loss at Saint Mary's, but moved back into a tie for third place in the WCC when Pepperdine lost to San Francisco on Thursday night. … They lead the country in scoring with an 86.5 average. … G Tyler Haws has 2,417 points and is 50 away from tying Danny Ainge for second on BYU's career scoring list.