Nick Emery will return against Utah State, and 3 other observations on BYU's 2018-19 hoops schedule

PROVO — BYU basketball coach Dave Rose announced the 2018-19 nonconference schedule Thursday morning, which begins Nov. 6 at defending Mountain West champion Nevada and includes a visit to two former MWC rivals.

In between those dates are four in-state opponents (again), a trip to SEC country, and a few more surprises.

Here are four thoughts on BYU's non-conference schedule.

Nick Emery to return for game with Utah State

Among the conditions of Emery’s reinstatement to the BYU basketball program following an NCAA investigation into improper benefits were that the former Lone Peak High standout miss the first nine regular-season games of the 2018-19 season.

Exhibition games do not count for the regular season, so the first game Emery will miss will be Nov. 6 at Nevada — and the last one will be Dec. 1 at Weber State.

Emery’s first game back in a Cougar uniform since leaving school for personal reasons a year ago will be Dec. 5’s home contest against in-state rival Utah State.

That also means he’ll be available when BYU plays Utah in the second-annual Beehive Classic at Vivint Arena on Dec. 8. Does anyone know if Emery has a history with the in-state programs?

Rose is upping his nonconference game

When the West Coast Conference became a one-bid league largely because of a lack of nonconference RPI (sorry, Saint Mary’s), the league’s coaches voted to shorten the in-conference portion of the schedule, changing the "scheduling pillars" of many programs on the West Coast.

BYU is taking advantage of the deviation.

Aside from the season-opener against the Wolfpack, which advanced to the program's second-ever Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament, BYU also has back-to-back road trips to former Mountain West rivals UNLV and San Diego State, a trip to SEC country with Mississippi State, and a return trip to Missouri Valley contender Illinois State.

Add to it the regular meeting with Utah and Rose's alma mater Houston, and the Cougars shouldn’t be left out of the NCAA Tournament for a poor schedule.

Now they just have to win.

Defending state champions

Coming off a year where BYU went 4-0 against in-state opponents, BYU will once again play its four major in-state opponents in a primarily home-centric scheduling quirk (maybe Southern Utah can fit into the schedule next year).

The Cougars open the Beehive State slate against Utah Valley in the Marriott Center on Nov. 9 looking to avenge the 114-101 loss the last time the two intra-county rivals met in Provo that opened a four-game series. BYU handled the Wolverines 85-58 a year ago in the team’s first-ever meeting in the UCCU Center in Orem.

BYU’s first true road game against an in-state opponent will start a three-game trip Dec. 1 at Weber State, followed Dec. 5 against Utah State in Provo, and Dec. 8 against the Utes at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City — a doubleheader event that will also pit Utah State and Weber State together.

There’s no place like home

Every Division I college basketball team wants to play at home during nonconference play, and BYU is no exception — even with the more difficult schedule that necessitated more true road games.

After opening in Reno, the Cougars will play six-straight at home beginning Nov. 9 against UVU and ending Nov. 24 against Houston. In between are tipoffs against Northwestern State, Oral Roberts, Alabama A&M and Rice.

It’s not exactly a murderer’s row. But it is a homestand early in the season before ending non-conference play with four of their last five away from the Marriott Center.

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