BYU Calls It A Season After Not Being Selected To NIT
Mar 17, 2019, 7:17 PM
Brigham Young Cougars forward Gavin Baxter (25) and Brigham Young Cougars guard Taylor Maughan (13) and the rest of the BYU Cougars walk off the court after falling to the San Diego Toreros in WCC tournament action at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, March 10, 2019. San Diego won 80-57. (Scott Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – After missing out on bids to the NCAA Tournament and the National Invitational Tournament, the BYU Cougars have elected to end their 2018-19 basketball season.
The decision was made known via a statement by BYU athletics director Tom Holmoe.
“The primary focus of the BYU basketball programs is to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, or as a secondary option the National Invitation Tournament. With that in mind, we have determined that our men’s basketball team will not participate in the other postseason events this year,” the statement read.
For the second-straight season, @yochilds22 has been named to the USBWA All-District VIII Team. #BYUhoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/aQBdJWtFdX
— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) March 12, 2019
It was an up and down season for the Cougars, who fell below 20 wins in a season for the first time under head coach Dave Rose.
The year was highlighted by wins over NCAA Tournament bound Utah State and archrival Utah, but the Cougars proved to be too inconsistent over the course of the season to be considered for even the NIT.
The Cougars’ embarrassing 80-57 quarterfinals loss to San Diego in the West Coast Conference tournament proved to be the nail in the coffin for the team’s postseason hopes. San Diego was selected to the NIT as a 6 seed, likely due largely in part to the strength of that win.
Final. pic.twitter.com/ShBQUfjaNn
— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) March 10, 2019
BYU will lose departing seniors McKay Cannon and Luke Worthington. It is possible that star center Yoeli Childs, while still just a junior, could go pro this summer.
The Cougars will finish the season with a record of 19-13 and a 11-5 mark in conference play.
