BYU star Elijah Bryant questionable for Tuesday night’s game vs. Niagara

Provo • Misfortune continues to haunt the BYU men’s basketball team, which was forced to start the year without two injured inside players and guard Nick Emery, who withdrew from school the day before the season.

Monday, assistant coaches Tim LaComb and Heath Schroyer said after practice that leading scorer Elijah Bryant, who is averaging 21.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game, might not be able to play against Niagara on Tuesday night (7 p.m., BYUtv) at the Marriott Center.

Bryant, a junior with a history of knee injuries, suffered a foot injury in Saturday’s 89-75 loss to UT-Arlington and is questionable, Schroyer said.

Bryant was wearing a protective boot on his right foot when practice began and then spent some time riding a stationary bike without the boot. He didn’t participate in any scrimmaging or contact drills.

“The MRI was negative, which is great news,” Schroyer said. “Eli said it is feeling better, so it will probably be a game-time decision, from what I understand.”

Bryant said after scoring 15 points on 3 of 14 shooting against the Mavericks that one of UTA’s big men landed on his foot. He returned to action, but had lost some effectiveness.

“He made that play at the rim and their center fell on him,” LaComb said. “I was just cringing, thinking it was his knee again. But luckily it is [a foot]. I don’t think it is a major thing. I think it is just a matter of being sore and bothersome.”

The first meeting between BYU and Niagara since 1976 — the Cougars lead the series 5-2 — is part of the Barclays Center Classic but the Cougars (2-1) will still advance to the tournament proper in Brooklyn on Friday and Saturday whether they win or lose.

Niagara (1-2) concludes its season-opening four-game road trip in Provo after winning at St. Bonaventure (77-75) on Nov. 10 and losing at No. 14 Minnesota 107-81 last Wednesday and at UMass 101-76 on Sunday.

The Purple Eagles will look to push the ball at every opportunity and feature talented senior guards Kahlil Dukes and Matt Scott. A USC transfer, Dukes is averaging 21.7 points per game. Scott averages 20.3 points and 8.0 rebounds.

In past years, this would have been a track meet. But BYU is playing at a more deliberate pace since Schroyer joined the staff.

“They really want to speed the game up,” LaComb said of Niagara. “They want to play fast. They want to get out in transition. The ball goes through the hoop and they take it out and throw that thing. They are playing for a transition opportunity after a make. … We can’t get sucked into playing too fast of a game.”

BYU big men Braiden Shaw (ankle) and Ryan Andrus (knee) remain out with injuries.

If Bryant can’t go, BYU will start either Jahshire Hardnett or Dalton Nixon, who have generally been the first two players off the bench. Nixon was fantastic in the loss to UTA with 15 points and eight rebounds in 19 minutes.

“There is probably not a bigger fan of Dalton Nixon than me,” Schroyer said. “He does so many things that don’t show up in the stat sheet. He makes winning plays. He is a kid that bleeds blue. He has one objective all the time, and that is to help us win. … As he continues to develop, he’s a potential all-league player.”