STANFORD — Jasmine Moody has been pretty popular with the BYU women’s basketball team this week.

It’s not just that the Cougars won the West Coast Conference tournament title, and therefore clinched their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2016.

Nor is it because Moody received a special exemption from the NCAA for another year of eligibility after missing all but five games of the 2017-18 season with an injury (though that certainly helps her popularity status with the team).

Mostly, though, Moody is popular because she knows something the rest of the team doesn’t.

What does she know?

As the Cougars prepare for Saturday’s first-round tip against 10th-seeded Auburn at Maples Pavilion (1:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN2), Moody has been trusting her younger teammates with what she knows about the tournament.

For good reason; she was the only one on the current roster who was there when BYU last went to the tournament, also a No. 7 seed, against Missouri in Austin, Texas.

So even when the Cougars excitedly received the bid during a bracket-leaked Monday special, Moody was there to calm her teammates — and keep them focused on the business trip ahead.

“I know my team is young right now and there are a lot of emotions going through them,” she said. “But I know this is a whole different ballpark.”

How so?

For starters, the competition level goes up a notch, being one of the top-64 teams in the country. It’s time to play like it from whistle to whistle.

“The biggest thing I took from my freshman year is that you have to play together,” Moody said. “In the NCAA, all the lights are on you and people tend to get more selfish. But when you play as a team, that’s when teams shine and out-play their opponents.”

Moody knows about playing for her team, too.

The 6-foot-2 senior from Honolulu, Hawaii, was an all-state player who committed to BYU over several other offers. She played in all 27 games as a freshman, averaging 2.4 points and 1.8. rebounds in 10.5 minutes per game while she learned the system.

She started 12 of the 26 games of her sophomore year and looked to be headed on an upward trajectory.

But then tragedy struck her junior season.

Moody played just 43 total minutes in 2017-18, finishing with a total. Of seven points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks before shutting the season down after five games with an injury.

The move hampered BYU, which struggled to a 16-14 finish and bowed out in the first game of the WCC Tournament to San Diego while often employing a four-guard set and a smaller lineup overall.

When she returned, Moody could’ve demanded a bigger role, too.

Instead, she took what the coaches gave to her, starting eight games, coming off the bench in the other 24, and averaging 5.8 points and a 5.4 rebounds per game for the third-best mark on the team on the glass.

Physically, she’s a different player than the rest of the team, and that could prove all the difference against an Auburn team that finished in the top half of the SEC with its size and athleticism.

“Jasmine is very physical. This is where having size makes a difference,” BYU coach Jeff Judkins said. “In our league, it’s not always about size; people spread out. But when you get into the NCAA Tournament, having depth inside is big. That’s what we have (with Moody).”

Moody probably won’t be expected to start; the Cougars have counted on the inside presence of 6-foot-7 center Sara Hamson and paired her well with elite defender Caitlyn Alldredge.

But bringing experience off the bench isn’t a bad thing in the NCAA Tournament.

“Jasmine has been a solid, consistent player all year — but a great leader, on and off the floor,” BYU guard Brenna Chase said. “She’s brought so much to this team. We’re lucky we get to have her again next year. I’m excited that she’s staying.”

Next year will come, and Moody will return to a team that loses just Alldredge from the active roster.

But the Cougars help to make a few more memories of their improbable tourney appearance this weekend.

“We’re grateful that we get to go back to the NCAA Tournament,” Moody said. “No matter what, we appreciate it.”

NCAA WBB Tournament: BYU (25-6) vs. Auburn (22-9)

Where: Maples Pavilion, Stanford, California

When: 1:30 p.m. MDT

TV: ESPN2

Radio: BYU Radio

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