BYU and Utah women’s basketball will almost assuredly be playing in the NCAA Tournament this year.
The Cougars are ranked No. 15 in the latest Associated Press poll, the highest ranking ever for BYU.
BYU beat Portland 59-52 in the WCC tournament semifinals on Monday, advancing to the championship. The Cougars, led by head coach Jeff Judkins, have an overall record of 26-2.
Shaylee Gonzales is averaging 18.7 points per game, while Paisley Harding is averaging 17.2 points.
No matter what happens in Tuesday’s championship, the Cougars seem to be a lock for the NCAA Tournament.
The Cougars would be making their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and their sixth appearance since 2014.
Utah, coached by Lynne Roberts, also looks like it’s punched its ticket to the Big Dance after making a run to the Pac-12 tournament title game, defeating Cal, Washington State and Oregon before losing 73-48 to Stanford in the Pac-12 championship.
The Utes received votes in Monday’s AP poll.
Gianna Kneepkens (12 points per game), Jenna Johnson (11.9 ppg), Brynna Maxwell (10.9 ppg) and Kennady McQueen (9 ppg) are Utah’s key contributors.
Utah is aiming for its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011.
The latest edition of ESPN’s bracketology has both the Cougars and the Utes making the tournament and hosting games.
BYU is slotted as the No. 5 seed in the Tucson region ESPN’s bracketology, hosting No. 12 South Dakota State. Also in the Tucson region is No. 4 Arizona and No. 13 UNLV.
Utah is slotted as the No. 8 seed in the Columbia region, hosting No. 9-seeded South Florida. Also in the region is No. 1-seeded South Carolina and the No. 16 seed.