BYU, which has lost four consecutive games, is guaranteed to post its first losing record in conference play in 18 years.
But there’s still plenty on the line in the regular-season finale Saturday against San Francisco.
For starters, this is a historic game — it marks the Cougars’ final regular-season West Coast Conference contest as they prepare to join the Big 12 next season. It’s the last game BYU will play at the Marriott Center with the WCC logo on its uniforms and on the court.
It’s also Senior Night, as the school will honor seniors Gideon George and Rudi Williams prior to tipoff.
And the outcome with the Dons Saturday (8 p.m. MST, ESPNU) will determine where BYU will be seeded in next week’s WCC tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The Cougars (16-14, 6-9) are also looking to build a little bit of momentum by snapping their four-game losing streak heading into the WCC tourney.
If they win, they’ll lock up the No. 5 seed, which means they’d play Friday in the second round.
If BYU loses, then it will wind up as either the No. 6 or No. 7 seed. A No. 6 seed would have the Cougars playing in the second round Friday night. A No. 7 seed would have the Cougars playing in the first round Thursday, facing No. 10 seed Pepperdine. The Waves pounded BYU 92-80 in Malibu earlier this month.
San Francisco (18-12, 7-8), which is riding a three-game winning streak, is also playing for the No. 5 seed.
So what is BYU’s approach going into this final stretch of the season?
“I would say one game at a time, one day at a time, and win. Just do whatever it takes to win. I want to go out swinging,” Williams said. “I feel like there’s plenty of basketball games left to be played. I know there’s one left at the Marriott but I want to play a lot of games in Vegas. I want to play three or four games in Vegas. Just one day at a time, one game at a time.”
“There’s a lot of frustration. There’s a lot of sadness and anger. But you have to push all those away,” George said. “The main purpose is for us to get better every day. That’s the mentality we have to have as a team. Don’t take any plays off and get better every day. That’s where we’re at right now.”
USF is coming off a 92-89 home victory over Portland on Thursday. Khalil Shabazz scored 30 points, Tyrell Roberts added 19 points, while Marcus Williams hit five 3-pointers and finished with 17.
In January, the Dons beat the Cougars 82-74 at War Memorial Gym. Roberts and Shabazz lit up BYU, scoring 30 points and 21 points, respectively.
“They have two really dynamic guards in Shabazz and Roberts. We’re going to have to do a better job of containing those guys. Last game, they went off,” Williams said. “It’s going to take all of us, not just one of us. It’s going to be a team effort … We need to make sure we slow them down and contain them. Those were the two guys that hurt us and they probably beat us at the end of the day. We’ve got to slow those two down.”
Shabazz has victimized the Cougars multiple times during his career — and he’s enjoyed playing at the Marriott Center.
“I love playing against BYU. It’s a love-hate relationship. The fans are hecklers or whatever,” Shabazz told the Deseret News at WCC media day in October. “Just going into that environment is always fun. It’s an NBA arena and an NBA environment so it’s always fun playing there. With them leaving, they did what they’ve got to do. They felt like it was a decision they needed to make. I’m not upset; I’m not happy about it.”
Williams, a Coastal Carolina transfer, has also appreciated playing at the Marriott Center in his one season at BYU.
“Everything I’ve always wanted. As a kid growing up, you’ve always wanted to play in front of big crowds and sold-out crowds. Throughout my college career, I never got to do that. When I came into Division I, it was the COVID year so we were playing in empty arenas,” he said. “My second year, I went to a smaller school and didn’t get that real college game experience. So my last year, that was something that I was looking for when I was deciding where to go. I watched BYU games before I got here and I was like, ‘Yeah, I need to play in front of this.’ It’s been everything that I’ve wanted. I’ve gotten my own name chanted. I’ve seen them make teams miss free throws. It’s definitely been everything I’ve always dreamed of when I was younger.”
Saturday’s game against USF should be an emotional one. And there’s a lot hanging in the balance for the downtrodden Cougars, who have been struggling the past two weeks.
“We get our last home game and senior night, and then we get a chance to play in the WCC tournament. It’s do-or-die now,” said coach Mark Pope. “We’re really trying to tap into everything we can. Yes, this has been really heavy emotionally on our guys because as tiring as it might get when you don’t live up to your own goals and expectations, it’s brutal. That’s what our guys are working on now.”