BYU stands alone in the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament.
The Cougars are the only No. 1 seed left.
Fellow No. 1 seeds Utah and Texas A&M lost in the opening round of the WBIT last Thursday, and on Sunday, another No. 1, North Dakota State, also lost.
All three lost by double digits.
Can BYU survive the second round?
Due to the school’s no-Sunday policy, the Cougars are playing the rest of the second-round action a day later. On Monday night, they host Missouri (7 p.m. MDT, ESPN+) at the Marriott Center in a single-elimination tournament.
Including the Big 12 Tournament, BYU is 3–1 in postseason action, including a 72–47 win over Alabama A&M in the first round of the WBIT.
The Cougars (23-11) have won six of their last seven games and are playing arguably their best ball of the season. Although this did not give BYU a berth in the NCAA Tournament, it did give them the top seed in the WBIT.
In last week’s win, freshman point guard Sydney Benally scored 18 points, hit four 3-pointers and set single-season program records for freshman assists (139) and freshman games started (34).
Monday’s matchup gives BYU a rare opportunity to host an SEC opponent. No. 4 seed Missouri (17-16) advances with a 67-57 win over Seton Hall.
When Benally was asked during an ESPN+ postgame interview last Thursday what the key was to facing Missouri, he said, “Just have confidence in your coaches and have confidence in your teammates and have confidence in yourself – just have the drive to keep playing in the postseason.”
The Tigers were 4–12 in conference play, and before the win over Seton Hall, Missouri had lost seven in a row – although this came in the SEC, which placed 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament, second only to the Big Ten’s 12.
Missouri is led by two junior guards, Grace Slaughter and Shannon Dowell.
Slaughter led the Tigers in scoring (18.7 points per game) and rebounding (6.8), while shooting 45.5% from the floor, and was named to the All-SEC second team. Dowell adds 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
“We don’t get to have SEC teams on our court very often, so we’re really looking forward to it,” BYU coach Lee Commard said on BYU radio after the win over Alabama A&M. “(They’re) very talented, move the ball, share, shoot the three better than us. It’s going to be a good matchup for us.
“… They really do what they want to do offensively and are strong defensively.”
With Sunday’s other results, the BYU women are now the only Utah Division I basketball team still playing – Utah State lost to Arizona in the NCAA men’s tournament, while Southern Utah lost to Pepperdine in the WNIT.
If BYU wins on Monday, it will host a third-round game against Stanford of the ACC in the third round of the WBIT on Thursday. The Cardinal defeated Quinnipiac in their second round matchup on Sunday afternoon.
After the third round, the WBIT heads to the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas for the semifinals and championship. The semi-finals will be held on March 30 and the title match will be held on April 1.
For a BYU team loaded with young talent like Delaney Gibb, Benally, Oliva Hamlin and Brinley Cannon, the longer the Cougars have, the better to build momentum heading into next season.
Additionally, this will be BYU’s second test against an SEC foe – in November, the Cougars lost to then-No. 17 Vanderbilt at the US Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. The Commodores, who defeated BYU by 13, earned the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“They’ve been battle tested. Going on the road in the SEC is no small feat,” Cumard said of Monday’s opponent. “… We’ve made all the preparations, but I’m hoping that on Monday night, family night here at the Marriott Center, all of Cougar Nation will want to come out and show support for this group because it’s been a fun year so far.”
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