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No. 21 BYU takes its lofty ranking on the road

Dec 1, 2007 - 3:19 PM No. 23 BYU (5-1) at Portland (2-5) 10:00 pm EST

PORTLAND, Oregon (Ticker) -- Brigham Young played tough against the nation's elite last week. The 21st-ranked Cougars get a break in their schedule when they face Portland on Saturday.

BYU took down then-No. 6 Louisville and threatened then-No. 1 North Carolina last weekend at the Las Vegas Invitational, settling for second place at the event.

After being ranked as high as 21st last season, this marks the fist time since the 1980-81 and 1981-82 seasons that the Cougars have reached the top 25 in consecutive campaigns.

BYU fought hard against the Tar Heels in Las Vegas, holding six separate second-half leads before falling 73-63. Sophomore Jonathan Tavernari led the way with 18 points.

Portland has dropped its last two games, falling to rival Portland State, 78-73, on Wednesday. Senior Sherrard Watson leads the Pilots in scoring at 12.3 points per game.

The Cougars embarrassed Portland last season, cruising to a 79-50 victory behind Lee Cummard's 14 points. BYU has won two of the three all-time meetings.