Following an emotional, lopsided victory over San Francisco on Senior Night, in the regular-season finale at the Marriott Center, BYU guard Rudi Williams had just finished answering questions from reporters about the win and the upcoming West Coast Conference tournament.
As he left the interview room, Williams said, “Make sure y’all bring the big suitcase to Vegas. We’ve got a couple of games over there.”
Yes, the Cougars are hoping for an extended stay in Sin City.
This marks their final appearance in the WCC tournament before joining the Big 12 next year and BYU has some unfinished business.
The Cougars have one final chance to try to capture a WCC tournament championship. BYU hasn’t won a conference tournament championship since 2001.
Can the Cougars make a memorable March run in their final WCC tournament?
Yes, the odds are long. But BYU, which finished 7-9 in conference play, has received, it seems, a favorable draw in the bracket.
The Cougars are hoping to play this upcoming week like they did against San Francisco on Saturday.
Five alive
Thanks to their convincing victory over the Dons on Saturday, BYU (17-14) received the No. 5 seed due to the tie-breaking formula because the Cougars, USF and Pacific finished in a three-way tie in the final standings.
BYU also avoided entering the tournament on a five-game losing streak.
The Cougars play Friday (7 p.m. MST, BYUtv) in the second round at Orleans Arena against the winner of the first-round matchup Thursday between No. 8 Portland and No. 9 San Diego.
BYU played the Pilots and Toreros once each this year. It downed Portland 71-58 in Provo on Dec. 31, though the Pilots were without their best player, Tyler Robertson. And BYU throttled USD 68-48 in San Diego on Jan. 7.
If the Cougars win Friday, they will meet No. 4 seed Loyola Marymount Saturday in the tournament quarterfinals. While they fell to the Lions in Los Angeles in January, they crushed LMU 89-61 in Provo on Feb. 2 — marking one of their most impressive performances of the season.
If BYU can get past Loyola Marymount on Saturday, it will advance to Monday’s semifinal against top-seeded Saint Mary’s, which is ranked No. 17 in this week’s Associated Press poll.
The Cougars lost on a last-second shot to the Gaels at the Marriott Center in January, then dropped a 71-65 decision in Moraga on Feb. 18.
And if somehow BYU can upset Saint Mary’s, it would advance to the WCC championship game Tuesday against, most likely No. 2 seed Gonzaga, which is ranked No. 10 nationally, with a chance to win a WCC tournament title.
The Cougars played the Zags tough this season. BYU lost a heartbreaker in Provo 75-74 on Jan. 12. Gonzaga edged the Cougars in Spokane on Feb. 11, 88-81.
It would be a classic, fitting end to BYU’s 12-year era in the WCC, to face the Zags one final time in the WCC championship game.
Conventional wisdom suggests if the Cougars can advance to the semifinals Monday, they work their way into the National Invitation Tournament conversation.
Prior to last season, BYU never had a seed worse than No. 3 in the WCC tournament. The Cougars have been the No. 5 seed in 2022 and 2023. Last March, they beat LMU in the second round, then fell to No. 4 San Francisco in the quarterfinals.
Alternate universe: BYU avoids the unlucky No. 7 seed
Had BYU lost to San Francisco last Saturday, it would have dropped down to the No. 7 seed and would have faced No. 10 seed Pepperdine Thursday. It would not have been a good matchup for the Cougars, who lost to the Waves 92-80 on Feb. 9 in Malibu.
And if BYU could have advanced to the quarterfinals, it would have been matched up with No. 3 seed Santa Clara, which swept the Cougars this season, including a dominating 81-74 victory in Provo on Feb. 16.
As a No. 7 seed, the path would have been much more difficult for BYU, for multiple reasons.
The Williams effect
In Saturday’s win over USF, Williams received his first start since early December. It might have been for Senior Night. Or it might have been because it gives BYU a better chance to win. The senior point guard could start again Friday.
Against the Dons, Williams scored 21 points, highlighted by making 15 of 16 free throws. Williams has been a catalyst for the Cougars most of the season, having scored 26 points, twice, and 28 points off the bench in previous games.
Certainly, BYU will count on a veteran leader like Williams in March. His ability to create his own shot, his ability to get downhill and his ability to score could become even more important now.
Meanwhile, forward Fousseyni Traore has been a force inside for the Cougars. He’s coming off a double-double performance, 17 points and 14 rebounds, against San Francisco.
On top of that, BYU is ranked in the top 40 in defense by KenPom. Defense can make a big difference in tournament settings.
Viva Las Vegas
Arguably, BYU’s best performance of the season took place in Las Vegas in a 83-80 win over nationally ranked Creighton.
Granted, the Bluejays were down their best player, 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who didn’t play due to illness. But the Cougars took advantage.
Still, BYU tried to give the game away. It led No. 21 Creighton by 11 points with 3:26 remaining at Michelob Ultra Arena before a slew of turnovers and missed free throws. The Bluejays took a one-point lead with 26 seconds remaining.
But in the end, freshman guard Dallin Hall missed a shot in the paint but grabbed his own rebound and scored the game-winner with 11 seconds left.
That’s the kind of late Las Vegas magic the Cougars might need in the WCC tournament.