Should BYU Basketball Opt Out of the WCC Tournament?

What are the pros and cons of playing in the WCC tournament for BYU?

In the most recent NCAA tournament projections, BYU and Gonzaga were firmly in the field of 68. They were also the only WCC teams that made the cut. Given the unique nature of this college basketball season, both BYU and Gonzaga are deciding whether or not they should opt out of the WCC tournament. Rumors of BYU and Gonzaga opting out had been swirling for a few weeks, but John Canzano officially reported the news on Tuesday afternoon:

Gonzaga and BYU are weighing whether they should opt out of the West Coast Conference basketball tournament.

Nothing in it for either program, except risk of injury, bad loss and infection. They’re both NCAA Tournament bound regardless. WCC ADs are talking about this.

— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) February 16, 2021

Today, we look at the pros and the cons of BYU participating in the WCC tournament. 

Why BYU should participate in the WCC tournament

When BYU plays Pacific on Thursday night, it will have been ten days since they played Gonzaga. That feels like a long time. If BYU declines to participate in the WCC tournament, it will be 21 days in between their last game against Santa Clara and their first game in the NCAA tournament.

During those 21 days, BYU could try to replicate games in practice - but it's not the same. The nerves aren't the same and the conditioning isn't the same. Participating in the WCC tournament would allow BYU to play at least one game in between their final game on February 25th and the first round of the NCAA tournament on March 18th.

While suffering a loss in the WCC tournament could hurt BYU's resume, beating a team like San Francisco or Saint Mary's could help it. BYU ranges from an #8 seed to a #10 seed in NCAA tournament projections. Could a win over one of those aforementioned teams move BYU up to a #7 seed?

If BYU doesn't play in the WCC tournament, they really need to win their last three games of the regular season. If they drop one of the next three games, playing in the WCC and rebuilding their resume makes sense to this author.

Why BYU should not participate in the WCC tournament

Like Canzano stated, playing in the WCC tournament comes with risks. The more games you play, the more injuries you can sustain. In my mind, however, the risk of injury in a game is similar to a practice where you're trying to simulate a game. For me, the two biggest reason why BYU should not participate in the WCC tournament are clear:

1. Avoid COVID-19 outbreak

We saw this a lot during the college football season - traveling during COVID-19 can cause an outbreak. To qualify for the NCAA tournament, every member of your team has to log SEVEN consecutive negative tests during the seven days leading up to the tournament. Foregoing the WCC tournament would decrease the likelihood of an outbreak. 

2. Avoid a bad loss

Like we mentioned, BYU ranges from an #8 seed to a #10 seed. What if BYU lost to a quad three or quad four team? BYU would be able to avoid a bad loss by foregoing the WCC tournament.

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