Postponed games are piling up for BYU, which will have to wait even longer to tip off the 2021 West Coast Conference season.
On Monday, the school announced that Thursday’s game against Pacific at the Marriott Center has been postponed due to COVID-19-related protocols.
It marks the third consecutive postponed game for the Cougars, who were able to play all 11 of their nonconference games. Last weekend’s games at Pepperdine and San Diego were postponed due to COVID-19 issues.
BYU hasn’t played since Dec. 23, 2020, an 87-79 win over Weber State. The Cougars (9-2) have a bye on the schedule Saturday. Their next scheduled game is Jan. 14 at Saint Mary’s.
The league is working with the schools and broadcast partner ESPN to reschedule games but with so many programs paused due to COVID issues, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find dates to play those games.
On the opening weekend of WCC play, five games were postponed.
The WCC announced Monday that Portland and San Francisco will meet Thursday. Originally, Portland was to play Loyola Marymount and San Francisco was to take on Pepperdine. However, LMU and Pepperdine are paused for COVID-19-related reasons. San Diego and Pacific are also paused.
Meanwhile, the Cougars checked in at No. 52 in the first NCAA NET rankings of the 2020-21 season, released Monday.
Not surprisingly, WCC rival Gonzaga is No. 1 in the NET as well as No. 1 in the national polls. Saint Mary’s is No. 53.
The Cougars’ most impressive win in the preseason was at San Diego State, which is No. 41. The Aztecs lost at home to Colorado State after squandering a 26-point first-half lead. It was the largest comeback in Mountain West Conference history.
In Andy Katz’s “Power 36” poll, BYU is No. 23.