WCC Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2018-19

After three straight third-place finishes in the WCC, the BYU Cougars look poised to be the second-best team in the conference. Even after losing Elijah Bryant, Dave Rose has a roster that should be better than everyone except Gonzaga.

Led by 2018-19 WCC Player of the Year favorite Yoeli Childs, this WCC team will have balance between its frontcourt and backcourt.

Up front, the Cougars will start Childs and Luke Worthington, who will need to work on his rebounding to compliment his scoring ability. Off the bench, Rose can go to Kolby Lee against larger frontcourts like Gonzaga, as well as Braiden Shaw who can provide periodic defensive minutes.

Zac Seljaas and Dalton Nixon are both solid and experienced wings, but freshman Gavin Baxter may be the best small forward on the roster. While Seljaas has struggled to find his stroke from deep, Baxter is expected to be the stretch forward that BYU needs moving forward.

In the backcourt, Nick Emery will return following a nine game suspension. Emery who left the team last year, citing personal reasons, is a capable three point shooter and the best on ball defender on BYU.

Joining Emery, TJ Haws and Jahshire Hardnett combine to form a small but talented starting backcourt. Haws desperately needs to regain his stroke, as his three-point shooting percentage dropped from 40.4% as a freshman to just 30.9% as a sophomore. Hardnett, on the other hand, will need to defend without fouling, as his 2.6 personal fouls per game led the team. Off the bench, the Cougars will need Connor Harding to contribute immediately, so that Walk On guard McKay Cannon isn’t the sole backup.

With balance and experience, the BYU Cougars could be the second-best team in the WCC and a potential NCAA Tournament team.