PROVO — BYU's dreams of a deep run in the NCAA tournament may have taken a major blow Tuesday when the third-ranked Cougars dismissed starting forward Brandon Davies from the team for the remainder of the season.

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Davies' suspension puts team in a bind

You won't hear any BYU basketball reaction to the Davies situation until Coach Rose addresses the Davies' questions after the New Mexico game; same for the Cougar players.

The school cited a violation of the school's honor code in announcing the move Tuesday evening.

Davies, who grew up in Provo, had started 26 of 29 games for the Cougars and averaged 11.1 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds.

BYU does not make public details regarding violations of its Honor Code. Given BYU became aware of this violation yesterday, some decisions regarding Davies' future on the basketball team and at the university are yet to be determined.

To say the timing could not be worse is an understatement; three days after the biggest regular season win in BYU Basketball history and one day after reaching #3 in the national polls, and just as national observers are all but awarding BYU a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament comes the news that the Cougars third-leading scorer and leading rebounder will not be a part of the postseason run.

The length of that run may now be determined by how BYU responds to the absence of one of the BYU's most athletic post men. Davies is only a sophomore but was on the path to becoming the linchpin of the Cougars' inside game as BYU both embarked on a Big Dance journey and prepared for life in the West Coast Conference. Davies' future plans and/or role at BYU are now quite clearly in doubt.

What Dave Rose's team will do in the short-term will be immediately known; the Cougars have a home game Wednesday night with New Mexico.

BYU was intent on winning the Mountain West Conference tournament next week in Las Vegas, of gaining a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and advancing past the second round, where the Cougars lost last season.

All-America guard Jimmer Fredette remains the Cougars' biggest scoring threat at a nation-leading 27.3 points a game. Backcourtmate Jackson Emery is second in scoring at 12.6 points and Davies was third.

The 6-foot-9 sophomore was instrumental in helping contain San Diego State's forwards in the Cougars' 80-67 victory over then-No. 6 San Diego State on Saturday.

Cougar Tracks

Davies Done

On Monday, BYU Basketball began the week buoyed by excitement and promise. On Tuesday, the Cougars' dream season was hit with nightmare news: starting center Brandon Davies is out for the rest of the season after an Honor Code violation.

The win vaulted BYU to No. 3 in the latest Associated Press poll as the Cougars improved to 27-2 overall (13-1 Mountain West) and swept the regular-season series over the Aztecs (27-2, 12-2) for the third straight year.

Davies played 27 minutes in the win over the Aztecs. He had four points, six rebounds and one blocked shot but helped contain San Diego State's big men.

He has put up some bigger numbers this season.

He had 20 points and nine rebounds in a win at Wyoming on Feb. 2, had double-doubles at UNLV (15 points, 10 rebounds) and against Colorado State (14 points, 15 rebounds).

Rose could switch to a smaller lineup by moving 6-5 Charles Abouo to power forward or he could lean more heavily on 6-8 sophomore Stephen Rogers or seldom-used 6-10 junior James Anderson.

BYU already was shorthanded after losing 6-9 sophomore Chris Collinsworth for the season because of injury.

Davies commanded the most attention inside, opening things outside for Fredette and Emery.

It is assumed that a banged-up Noah Hartsock will move from his power forward spot to the center position, with the new starting "4" man yet to be determined.

At San Diego State, when Hartsock's injury status made him a question mark to start or play, Rose was prepared to play Logan Magnusson in place of Hartsock. Given more time to game plan, and with Hartsock moving inside, expect Rose and his staff to consider Kyle Collinsworth, Stephen Rogers and even Charles Abouo as pieces to be moved around in Davies' absence. James Anderson remains a bench post presence, while Magnusson will be expected to give unmatched effort, whatever Rose requires.

School officials said they became aware of the honor code violations Monday. His future with the team and the university has not yet been determined.

Story compiled with contributions from Greg Wrubell, Robert Jackson and the Associated Press.

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