Why BYU basketball won't travel more than 400 miles in nonconference play

PROVO — Scheduling is about to get a lot different for BYU basketball.

In past years as members of the West Coast Conference — and even in the Mountain West and Western Athletic before that — the Cougars were constantly chasing boosts in nonconference play, seeking a win or strong result that could bolster the case for an NCAA Tournament berth (while also preparing them for conference play).

That won't be the case anymore.

Entering its first season in what has been dubbed the toughest college basketball conference in America — or, at least, one that featured seven top-30 teams in the NET rankings and added No. 1 Houston — BYU is dialing it back.

The Cougars will only play two games outside of the state of Utah in nonconference play in 2023-24, and both of those will come during the multi-team event Vegas Showdown at Michelob ULTRA Arena, the home of the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces.

Every other game but two will be played at home in the Marriott Center; those exceptions are a neutral-site tipoff against Fresno State in the Delta Center on Dec. 1, and a road game at rival Utah at the Huntsman Center on Dec. 9.

That's right. BYU basketball will only play one true road game in the nonconference portion of its schedule. It's certainly a shift in philosophy from previous years, but one that's been calculated by the Cougars.

"We had 13 total Quad 1 and Quad 2 games last year," BYU assistant coach Nick Robinson told BYUtv. "This year, we're projected to have 14 total Quad 1 games: 12 in league, two in nonconference, with another seven Quad 2. The importance of being able to be in the Marriott Center, to have Cougar Nation, to have the ROC, to have that advantage, whether altitude or whatever that might be, is really important for coach Pope and all of our fans. ... When we get to Big 12 play, you want to win at home as much as possible."

The Cougars will also bring San Diego State, fresh off its run to the NCAA Tournament championship game, and former Mountain West foe Wyoming to the Marriott Center, in addition to the aforementioned neutral-site games against Arizona State and either North Carolina State or Vanderbilt in the Vegas Showdown.

The confirmed date with the Sun Devils will provide BYU coach Mark Pope and his staff with a first look at a future conference series. Arizona State is set to join the Big 12 along with Arizona, Colorado and Utah for the 2024-25 season.

"I'm so excited," Pope said of the four new schools. "It makes this conference so stable, which is what you're really searching for in this conference realignment. I love the fact that we have this little region, this corner of the conference. This rivalry with Utah is so fantastic; it's outdated all of us, and it's going to exist long after we're all gone. That's part of what makes sports special.

"The fact that a lot of people are torn up about it and a lot of people are celebrating it is exactly why we should be in the same conference. And I'm really excited to have Arizona in this conference; that's been an incredible program for a long time, the standard bearer of the Pac-12. They're all teams that really fit this conference, the best basketball conference in the country by miles right now, and that's super exciting for us."

Here's a look at BYU's nonconference schedule. The Cougars' full Big 12 slate will be revealed at a later date, but it will include three distinct pairings of home-and-away opponents; home-only opponents; and away-only opponents.

BYU will face Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and UCF on a home-and-home schedule. The Cougars will also host Houston, Texas, TCU and Cincinnati, and have travel to Kansas, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Oklahoma during conference play.

"I'm really excited about this conference," Pope said. "It couldn't be any better than it is right now."

Related topics