San Diego won the last time these two teams played. But with off-court issues coming into play, can BYU move on in the WCC Tournament?
TV schedule: Saturday, March 3, 4:00 p.m. ET. Check Local Listings
Arena: Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, California
Things have been rough for BYU 22-9 (11-7) in the WCC. For the seventh year since entering the league, the Cougars weren’t close to a regular season title, looking up at both Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s the entire way.
The non-conference gave BYU fans hope, with solid road wins at Princeton, Utah Valley and finally a win over rival Utah. But conference play started out on a heartbreaking note, with an overtime loss at home to the Gaels, even though they had a shot to win the game in regulation.
Dave Rose’s team went on to get swept by both Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga, and added three losses to the other teams to finish with seven WCC defeats, the most since arriving.
There were positive signs for the teams. After unexpectedly losing Eric Mika to the professionals, sophomore Yoeli Childs stepped up and had a big year, averaging 17.4 ppg and 8.7 rpg. Joining him was a healthy Elijah Bryant, who put up 17.6 ppg and 6.5 rpg on very efficient numbers.
The problem was, outside of those two and sometimes TJ Haws (very inconsistent on the year) there was little offense elsewhere. There was hope that after Nick Emery took the year off from school due to some personal issues, that Weber State transfer McKay Cannon could try to fill the void. But after dropping 17 points in his first two games with the Cougars, he hasn’t been heard from since.
Related Story: BYU has now hit rock bottom in the WCC
Now BYU is in a familiar spot, a three seed in the WCC Tournament. But it could be a one-and-done situation for them, playing a tough team that already has a win over them.
San Diego 18-12 (9-9) looked like the clear fourth best team in the WCC, after great road non-conference wins over Grand Canyon, New Mexico State and Colorado. Those are three of the more difficult environments in all of college basketball.
The Toreros have one of the best defenses in basketball, especially when it comes to guarding the three-point line. But the program has found some offense from the transfer market, with Isaiah Wright (13.3 ppg 5.0 rpg 5.3 apg) and Isaiah Pineiro (15.4 ppg and 6.2 rpg) leading the way. They did lose some games in conference play, but gave tough games to both Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga.
One win San Diego has was over BYU late in the season, where they led coast-to-coast to a 75-62 win. Pineiro came off the bench to lead all scorers with 20 points. As a team, they held BYU to 37% shooting.
Things have taken a turn for the Toreros, with head coach Lamont Smith not coaching the team as of now after getting arrested last week at the airport. Charges haven’t been filed, but the school has placed him on leave. Now the team has to come together and drown out the noise.
Next: 2018 WCC Conference Tournament preview
If everything was normal, I would’ve picked San Diego to win this game, as I believe they are a bad matchup for the Cougars. But this distraction is just too much to ignore, and BYU should win a defensive struggle.