BYU women’s basketball coach Jeff Judkins (center) instructs his team during a time out against Pepperdine at the Marriott Center on Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. (BYU Courtesy Photo)
It’s impossible to argue that there is a more successful college basketball team in Utah in 2021-22 than the BYU women’s basketball team.
But now the No. 17-ranked Cougars — who finished the regular season with a 25-2 record — have their eyes on postseason success.
“A lot of our players came back for these moments,” Cougar head coach Jeff Judkins said last week. “They came back to play in the NCAA tournament. They came back to do some damage. I know right now there are very few people who can say they had a chance. When opportunities come, you have to take advantage of them. This team has done that so far and I know we’ll be ready to go.”
Top-seeded BYU is set to face No. 4-seed Portland in the West Coast Conference tournament on Monday with a spot in Tuesday’s title game.
The Cougars get a chance to avenge their only conference loss, since the Pilots were able to pull away late to defeat BYU, 75-64, in Portland. The return trip to Provo was canceled because of COVID-19 issues at the beginning of the year.
“If this team plays like I know it can play, I don’t know how many teams can beat us,” Judkins said. “We score, we defend, we rebound, we pass, we can attack a zone, we can play man, we can do a lot of different things. If we play our game, we are a hard team to beat.”
While the Cougars certainly have adding a WCC tournament title to their regular season championship, there are bigger stakes at play for BYU.
This is a team that has been overlooked by the traditionalists in both the polls and on the preliminary reveals from the NCAA selection committee.
The Cougars have a No. 9 NET ranking but that is only one of the factors considered by the committee. It has constantly downplayed BYU’s phenomenal success and not put them in the Top 16.
Portland is ranked No. 78 in the NET ranking and, if things go as expected, BYU could add a third win over No. 27-ranked Gonzaga in the championship. The Bulldogs face No. 3 San Francisco in the other semifinal.
If the Cougars get those wins and get enough help, it is still a possibility that BYU would get a Top 4 seed and thus get the opportunity to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
At the end of the day, however, this is about playing great basketball regardless of who the opponent is or what a committee says. That’s what March is all about.
“I love March,” Judkins said. “My birthday is March, there is kite-flying in March and there is tournament basketball in March. It’s the most exciting time I think of the year. So many teams have worked so hard to get to this point. You win or you are out. That makes for an exciting tournament.”
BYU will face Portland Monday at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. It’s slated for a 1 p.m. tipoff and can be seen on BYUtv.
UVU men’s basketball falls at New Mexico State
Utah Valley was unable to overcome a slow start in the second half as the Wolverines dropped its regular season finale on the road, 62-46, at New Mexico State. UVU enters the Hercules Tires WAC Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas with the seven seed while NM State earned the top seed.
UVU wraps up the season with a 19-11 record, including 10-8 in WAC play. NMSU finishes the regular season with a 24-6 record on the year, tying for first place in the conference with a 14-4 record.
Wolverine women’s basketball beats NMSU
Utah Valley University capped the WAC regular season with a 60-51 win over New Mexico State to secure the No. 4 seed in next week’s WAC Tournament. Josie Williams picked up her 22nd double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds while Abby Conlee notched the first of her career with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
“I really could not be prouder of this team. We’re dealing with a lot of injuries and this was a true team win,” said UVU head coach Dan Nielson. “Abby came in and changed the game in the second quarter with her energy, Emma hit the big three and Eleyana did a great job. We’re exhausted but we’re ready for the tournament.”
UVU wrestling to send three to the NCAA tournament
Evan Bockman became the third Utah Valley University wrestler to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships with a win on Sunday at the Big 12 Championships, joining Taylor LaMont and Haiden Drury, who clinched their spots on Saturday.
LaMont (125 pounds) and Drury (133) both placed fifth after winning their final matches of the tournament.
Other scores
BYU softball defeated Cal, 5-0, in San Diego; Cougar men’s volleyball lost to USC, 3-0; UVU baseball won at Dixie State, 8-3, on Sunday after losing, 12-1, on Saturday.