BYU Basketball Primed To Win WCC Tourney Title

PROVO, Utah – The BYU Cougars basketball head out to Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon seeking their first-ever West Coast Conference tournament title. 

“Clearly they (the team) understand we are in a pretty good position right now,” said head coach Mark Pope. “I think they felt the success you can have when you focus 100 percent on the next game.”

It won’t be an easy task for the Cougars to knock off the Gonzaga Bulldogs if they’re able to reach the championship game as Gonzaga has won seven of the last ten WCC title games. 

LET'S DO THIS!! 😤 pic.twitter.com/gwETVoAJJY

— BYU Basketball (@BYUbasketball) March 5, 2020

One statistic that provides hope and optimism for a potential conference title: 2-0. That’s the Cougars record this season vs Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s when senior forward Yoeli Childs is available to play, albeit both games were in Provo, Utah. 

Yoeli Childs was recently named a top-five finalist for the 2020 Karl Malone award. It’s an amazing accomplishment for Childs to make this list considering he’s missed 11 games this season due to injury and suspension. 

#MaloneAward Finalists from @Hoophall!

Yoeli Childs
Obi Toppin
Killian Tillie
Jalen Smith
Reggie Perry

Who is the PF of the year? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/ssbblQqaAM

— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) March 5, 2020

“It’s always cool when you have your name next to somebody like that,” said Childs. “He’s one of the greatest players to ever play the game of basketball. We all understand that our individual goals will be accomplished as long as the team goals are accomplished first.”

Childs has been outstanding in those two wins vs the top teams in the WCC; scoring a combined 47 points with 14 rebounds. Expect him to be at the top of his game after being snubbed for WCC player of the year. The award went to Gonzaga forward Filip Petrusev. 

#BYU forward Yoeli Childs discusses bracketology projections. #BYUhoops #KSLsports pic.twitter.com/ldJqrfxLK7

— Matthew Baiamonte (@baiamontematt) March 5, 2020

Gonzaga has played in 22 consecutive WCC championship games. Saint Mary’s defeated the Zags last season 60-47 in the title game. It was the first time the Bulldogs have lost the tournament title since the 2012 season when Matthew Dellavedova and the Gaels beat Gonzaga in overtime. 

It’s likely that BYU will have to knock off Gonzaga yet again in order to secure the automatic WCC qualifier. 

If there’s ever a time for BYU to win a tournament title, it’s this season. BYU has only played one game since beating Gonzaga back on February 22nd. What does that mean? This team is getting healthy at the right time.

“There are good things and bad things with the long rest period for us,” said Jake Toolson. “For one it’s good because we are a little banged up. It gives some guys some time to get healthy and get after our bodies, and our conditioning. This team has shown that we are ready to go and ready to right every game.”

#BYU guard Jake Toolson discusses the pros and cons of long break between games. #BYUhoops pic.twitter.com/ghuBuKKfhF

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 5, 2020

One player who will remain injured through the WCC tournament is Dalton Nixon. 

“He is getting close,” said coach Pope. “I don’t think there’s really a chance he will be able to play on Monday. If we can win some games, I think there is a chance he’s alive the week after.”

It’s been a storybook season so far. Imagine how good the story would be with a tournament championship. It’s not out of the realm possibility. In fact, it’s very possible. The Cougars have never failed to reach the championship game when entering the tournament as the two seed. 

A WCC tournament title could result in a three seed for the Cougars come selection Sunday. BYU has a very good resume, the only blemish is the number of quad one wins. That will change if they are able to win the WCC tournament championship.