Analyst: BYU Is An Elite Eight Team ‘With An Outside Chance’ At Final Four
Mar 9, 2020, 5:43 PM
Danny Ainge - BYU Basketball - Elite Eight
PROVO, Utah – One former college basketball coach turned broadcaster and analyst said that the BYU men’s basketball is “for real” and is an Elite Eight caliber team “with an outside chance” to make the Final Four.
ESPN’s Seth Greenberg spoke about the No. 14 ranked Cougars’ NCAA Tournament chances during the Daily Wager show on Monday, March 9.
“They are for real,” said Greenberg of BYU’s team. “Elite Elite with an outside chance to be a Final Four good.”
ESPN has @BYUbasketball making the 𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, outside chance of the 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿. Is BYU the 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝 team in the West? @kslsports has latest on #BYUhoops from #WCChoops tourney in Vegas @KSL5TV and https://t.co/llnYV18R3r
More➡️https://t.co/7LM37Lm0lW pic.twitter.com/Gfy4rTDoge
— ʜᴇᴍᴀ ʜᴇɪᴍᴜʟɪ ᴊʀ. (@x_hems) March 9, 2020
Greenberg currently works at ESPN as a college basketball analyst. Prior to working for ESPN, Greenberg coached in college basketball for more than 30 years. He was the head coach for Long Beach State, South Florida, and Virginia Tech during his career. He was named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2008. Greenberg produced a record of 383-293 as a head coach.
When speaking about the Cougars, Greenberg posed the question, “What’s there not to like about them?”
“They’re a group of grown men. I mean they’re a physically imposing team. They’ve got three guys that can drop 20 (points) on any given night. They play with great speed, great pace, great efficiency. They stretch the court. They shoot the three. They got a matchup problem in Yoeli Childs. What’s there not to like about them? They can pass. They cut. They move the ball side to side. They can beat you in transition. Oh, and by the way, alright they’ll punch you right in your face and that’s what they did against Gonzaga. They might be the toughest team. I’m not saying the best team but they might the toughest team in the West Coast Conference. They might be the toughest team in the West Coast. They’ve got a physicality to them. They are for real. Elite Elite with an outside chance to be a Final Four good.” – Seth Greenberg
BYU’s reached the Elite Eight three times in program history. The first time was in the 1949-50 season. The following season, the Cougars reached the Elite Elite again. BYU’s last time in the Elite Eight was in 1980-81.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently projects BYU as a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tourney.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 9, 2020
The Cougars have yet to be announced a member of the NCAA Tournament’s 68-team field. BYU can qualify for the tourney by earning an automatic bid if they win the West Coast Conference Tournament championship.
BYU’s first game of the WCC tourney is in the semifinals against the Saint Mary Gaels. The Cougars and No. 3 seed Gaels play on Monday, March 9 at 9:30 p.m. (MDT). The game will be played at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. It will broadcast on KSL NewsRadio 1160 AM and 102.7 FM. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
The Cougars will learn about their about the NCAA tourney path during the NCAA selection show on Sunday, March 15 at 4 p.m. (MDT).
