BYU stands alone in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
The Cougars are the one No. 1 seed remaining.
Fellow No. 1 seeds Utah and Texas A&M misplaced in the WBIT’s opening spherical final Thursday, and on Sunday, one other No. 1, North Dakota State, additionally went down.
All three misplaced by double-digits.
Can BYU survive the second spherical?
The Cougars are enjoying at some point later then the remainder of the second-round motion, as a result of college’s no-Sunday coverage. On Monday evening, they’ll host Missouri (7 p.m. MDT, ESPN+) on the Marriott Center in the single-elimination event.
Including the Big 12 event, BYU is 3-1 in postseason motion, including a 72-47 win over Alabama A&M in the WBIT’s first spherical.
The Cougars (23-11) have gained six of their previous seven video games and are enjoying arguably their finest ball of the season. While it didn’t land BYU a spot in the NCAA Tournament, it earned them a high seed in the WBIT.
In final week’s win, freshman level guard Sydney Benally scored 18 factors, hit 4 3-pointers and set single-season program information for freshman assists (139) and freshman video games began (34).
Monday’s matchup permits BYU the uncommon alternative to host an SEC opponent. No. 4 seeded Missouri (17-16) is coming off a 67-57 win over Seton Hall to advance.
When requested throughout an ESPN+ postgame interview final Thursday the important thing to face Missouri, Benally stated, “Just continue trusting in our coaches and our teammates and have confidence in ourselves — just drive to keep playing in the postseason.”
The Tigers went 4-12 in conference play, and prior to the win over Seton Hall, Missouri had lost seven straight — though that 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 leads the Tigers in scoring (18.7 points per game) and rebounding (6.8) while shooting 45.5% from the floor, and she was named All-SEC second team. Dowell adds 15.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
“Not too often we get SEC team to come here on our court, so really looking forward to it,” BYU coach Lee Cummard stated on BYU Radio following the win over Alabama A&M. “(They’re) very talented, move the ball, share it, shoot the three better than we do. It’s going to be a good match for us.
“… They really execute what they want to do offensively and are sound 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 fell to Pepperdine in the WNIT.
If BYU wins Monday, it will host a third-round game against the ACC’s Stanford on Thursday in the WBIT’s third round. The Cardinal beat Quinnipiac in their second-round contest Sunday afternoon.
After the third round, the WBIT heads to Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, for the semifinals and championship. The semifinals take place March 30, and the title game on April 1.
For a BYU team filled with youthful talent in leaders like Delaney Gibb, Benally, Oliva Hamlin and Brinley Cannon, the longer a run the Cougars can have, the better to build momentum going into next season.
Plus, it will be BYU’s second test against an SEC foe — in November, the Cougars lost to then-No. 17 Vanderbilt in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. The Commodores, who beat BYU by 13, earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“They’re battle tested. To go on the road in the SEC is no small feat,” Cummard stated of Monday’s opponent. “… We got our hands full, but I’m hoping Monday night, family night here in the Marriott Center, all Cougar nation wants to show, come out and show support for this group ‘cause it’s been a fun year so far.”
