Return of fans brings energy back to WCC Tournament for BYU team that needs to win

PROVO — As the world slowly recovered from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, something just felt odd for the BYU basketball team and the rest of those playing at the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.

The setting was the same, the court identical to the one the conference previously bought, and all the signage and branding was up for a normal tournament. But without fans, the court was surrounded with cardboard cutouts behind a handful of media tables, and the Orleans Arena was silent enough to hear a pin drop, at times.

It was normal — and anything but, at the same time, BYU wing Spencer Johnson recalled.

"It was weird last year, not playing with anybody in the arena; you could hear everything that everybody was saying," Johnson said. "And then you had to create your own energy from your team and your bench. It was really taxing."

As life resumes and businesses reopen amid a swell of vaccinations and lowering case counts across the country, the fans will be back in Las Vegas this weekend — meaning a swarm of Gonzaga fans will invade the Orleans Hotel and Casino, like they normally do before Monday's semifinals.

Two days earlier, it's BYU's turn. The fifth-seeded Cougars will face Loyola Marymount in Friday's second round (7 p.m. MST, BYUtv), the earliest the men's team has played in its decade in the conference.

And while the timing won't be normal, fans will be back in the building, bringing a sense of normalcy to a tournament that desperately lacked it a year ago.

"I'm super excited this year to have fans back," Johnson said. "They make a huge difference, and our fans travel really well. I'm definitely excited to have them down there and to cheer us on in Vegas."

the conference will inch closer to normal at the Orleans Arena, where the state of Nevada recently lifted its mask mandate for indoor public gatherings. WCC commissioner Gloria Nevarez says masks will not be required, but that will be recommended insofar as fans feel comfortable.

"We're much closer to normal than we have been the last two years," WCC commissioner Gloria Nevarez told BYUtv. "I feel like an excited puppy just being back in the gym."

The Cougars will face the Lions (11-12, 3-17 WCC), who advanced out of Thursday's second round with a 86-66 win over Pacific. That'll mark the third game in less than a month between BYU and LMU, which got 31 points, three assists and three steals from Joe Quintana and another 20 points and eight rebounds from big man Eli Scott in Thursday night's win.

All eyes are on further dates in the double-bye tournament, including a quarterfinal Saturday that could potentially be an NCAA Tournament play-in game between BYU and San Francisco. But in order for the Cougars to have that chance, they've got to earn it with a win.

"We're fortunate on the next night to know who we play, if we win," said BYU coach Mark Pope, whose team left for Las Vegas before Thursday night. "So you kind of throw all three teams into a jumble, and try to find the commonality of all three teams — maybe even a little more than we might be comfortable to prepare."

BYU (21-9, 9-6 WCC) has been straddling the edge of the bubble for weeks, with a win-and-you're-in type of mentality. Now, that "win-and-in" becomes more real.

Win the tournament title, and you erase all doubt about an NCAA Tournament selection. Of course, that's easier said than done with No. 1 Gonzaga awaiting in Monday's semifinals, and a likely date with No. 19 Saint Mary's in the final. Before that, San Francisco — ranked No. 26 in the NET — on Saturday.

So with a win Saturday, the Cougars — who continue to be an enigmatic bubble team nationally, just outside Joe Lunardi's projected cutline at ESPN.com but just inside the same 68-team field by Jerry Palm's projections at CBS Sports with a No. 12 seed — could make up for the damage of a four-game losing skid that pushed BYU from "safely in" to the fringes of the bubble.

After those mid-conference struggles that included losses to Santa Clara, Pacific, San Francisco and Gonzaga, the Cougars have won four of their final five games — two each against LMU and Pepperdine.

"I do like our trend," Pope said. "I do like our momentum."

So win two games, and BYU might find itself right back where it spent most of nonconference play — and then some: on the right side of the bubble.

"Our body of work is really, really good," said Pope, whose team ranks No. 53 in the NET with a 7-8 record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games. "And I think we've got to go show well.

"Obviously, if we go win it, then we're definitely in. But what this team has accomplished this year is pretty extraordinary. If you go back from the get-go, what they've done is really impressive. But we need to finish, go play really well in Vegas, and see what we can accomplish."

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