There are no major rule changes that BYU will be asked to experiment with during its two exhibition games.

Too bad, because there's one the Cougars could use: More minutes.

Faced with four returning starters, and unarguably the deepest and most experienced group of reserves Dave Rose has had in five years, BYU starts tonight against Canadian school Trinity Western hoping to use a 7 p.m. game at the Marriott Center as the first of two key opportunities to see a couple of things:

• What combinations -- mostly centered around the four returning starters -- are going to work best.

• A group that plays, on the whole, "really, really hard" each day in practice, according to Rose, must be scrutinized to see who can carry that over to a true game setting.

There's a lot to accomplish in 80 minutes, divided between a pair of scores-don't-count contests.

"As a staff, we go into these games with the idea of playing as many combinations of guys we can without disrupting the flow of the game," said associate head coach Dave Rice, who oversees an offense that has a ton of options.

The core has stayed intact for much of practice time, as the two preseason first-team MWC selections -- point guard Jimmer Fredette and forward Jonathan Tavernari -- have been flanked by center Chris Miles and the likely do-everything cog to replace Lee Cummard, Jackson Emery.

It looks like Christian-affliated Trinity, based in British Columbia, is being thrown to the Cougars, so to speak.

But Rose's team has issues, besides winning a game, that must be sorted out.

Charles Abouo played in all 33 games last year but could see a dramatic rise in minutes compared to last year's 10.7 average. He would appear to be the most likely one called on to replace Cummard as a swing man, with his improved shooting and athleticism that would provide some inside play.

Coaches must also sort out who's a good backup at each spot and who plays best with others in certain lineups. These issues are no different than past seasons, but unique because of the depth and experience related to this year's group coming off a 25-8 season.

Mike Loyd Jr., a sophomore guard, has playing experience from two years ago and appeared to take advantage of last year's redshirt season. He'll be competing with senior co-captain Lamont Morgan Jr. to spot Fredette as floor general.

Meanwhile, highly touted freshman Tyler Haws missed about a week of practices, of which BYU had its 16th on Wednesday, but he's been regaining floor time since last Wednesday after resting a sore knee. He did not participate in last week's Cougar Tipoff exhibition. He could play shooting guard or some small forward, which is more perimeter-based in BYU's offense.

Coaches believe Haws has been able to pick up some nuances of the schemes, despite not being able to participate in every practice. Conditioning may be his biggest obstacle.

BYU will likely not have Noah Hartsock available. He sprained an ankle -- the opposite one from last season -- late in Monday's practice.

Hartsock's absence, while not ideal, at least would afford coaches more minutes to figure out some other players' situations.

Freshman Brandon Davies is competing with returnee James Anderson along a relatively thin front line to spot Miles. Rose likes the group's scoring ability, of which Hartsock is the best option.

"Hopefully, that is indicative of our post guys offensively becoming better and more confident and not a sign that our post defense isn't very good," Rose said.

BYU must also entertain the idea of having essentially four players -- Haws, plus junior college transfer forward Logan Magnusson, Tavernari and Hartsock -- who can play multiple positions. Five, if one includes prime ballhandler Fredette as also a viable option to spend time at shooting guard.

So much to see, so relatively little game time to work with before next Friday's season opener against Bradley.

"Mostly you want to get a group of guys who play hard, understand the system ... and understand and respect the things the coaching staff tries to emphasize," Rose said. "We'll play a lot of guys; see what they can do."

BYU vs. Trinity Western

Today, 7 p.m., Marriott Center

• Radio: KSL (Internet)

• TV: BYU-TV

• Tip-ins: This is the first of two exhibition games (next Tuesday, Central Washington) before the Nov. 13 season opener at home against Bradley. ... Jacob Doerksen, a 6-foot-6 senior from British Columbia, leads the visiting team with an average of 15.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg while Calvin Westbrook, a 6-5 junior, is averaging 10.5 ppg. ... Trinity Western is 2-1 after defeating Waterloo and UVU and losing to British Columbia. ... The Cougars return four starters, including conference first-teamer Jimmer Fredette and third-team selection Jonathan Tavernari, to a team that won its third straight Mountain West Conference championship and finished with a 25-8 record in 2008-09.