Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The BYU Cougars gave Gonzaga a bit of a scare during the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game. Although they couldn’t pull off the upset, the Cougars looked good on the floor and will be in the NCAA Tournament field.
The coach
Head coach Mark Pope was hired in 2019 and led the Cougars to a 24-8 record in his first season. This was the most wins for a first-year coach in program history, and because of that success, Matt Norlander from CBS Sports named him the best hire of the 2019-20. season.
Strengths
BYU ranks 35th nationally in scoring offense with 78.7 points per game. Three players are averaging double digits with senior guard Alex Barcello leading with 15.9 points per game. Brandon Averette and Matt Haarms follow with 11.5 and 11.3 points respectively.
Corey Kispert got the Bulldogs back in it. Jalen Suggs finished it off.
The undefeated season is intact. The NCAA Tournament is next.
Suggs hit two late 3-pointers and scored 23 points, helping top-ranked Gonzaga survive its biggest test of an undefeated season to beat Brigham Young 88-78 in the West Coast Conference Tournament title game on Tuesday night.
âWe needed a game like that,â Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. âWe had some adversity and got punched in the face. We got together at halftime and the guys just stuck with the plan.â
The Bulldogs (26-0) had been unstoppable all season, winning all but one of their games by double digits as they advanced to the WCC title game for the 24th straight year.
Jalen Suggs had 23 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Kispert scored 14 of his 17 points in the second half to help Gonzaga overturned a 12-point halftime deficit and rally by BYU, 88-78 to clinch the West Coast Conference Tournament title Tuesday night at Orleans Arena. \n
Credit Screenshot from ESPN
The Gonzaga men’s and women’s basketball teams are both headed back to the NCAA’s “Big Dance.” Both came back from double-digit deficits to beat teams from Brigham Young University.
The men’s team finished an undefeated regular season. It rallied from 12 points down at halftime to win, 88-78, in the West Coast Conference final in Las Vegas. The Bulldogs finish their regular season 26-0 and have won 30 games in a row, dating back to last year’s truncated season. Gonzaga will learn on Sunday which team it will play in the NCAA men’s tournament in Indianapolis.