Brigham Younger Cougars guard Alex Barcello (13) and Brigham Younger Cougars guard Spencer Johnson (20) stroll off the court docket after shedding the 2022 West Coast Convention males’s basketball quarterfinals to the San Francisco Dons on the Orleans Area in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 5, 2022. BYU misplaced 63-75. Kristin Murphy, Deseret Information
LAS VEGAS — Nearly an hour earlier than tipoff Saturday evening at Orleans Area, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi articulated, very concisely, was what on the road for BYU within the West Coast Convention quarterfinals towards San Francisco.
Everyone already knew that it was a large sport. However when Lunardi speaks, all people pays consideration.
“A BYU win ... towards San Francisco ought to lead to a report 4 bids for the WCC,” Lunardi tweeted, and he had the Cougars shifting into “Final 4 In” the Huge Dance.
Sadly for No. 5 seeded BYU (22-10), it squandered a chance — a Golden alternative — for a Quad 1 victory and an opportunity to bolster its resume and get on the correct facet of the NCAA Match bubble.
No. 4 San Francisco led virtually your entire sport and defeated the Cougars 75-63.
Afterward, Lunardi tweeted, “BYU slides out of the projected area with the loss towards San Francisco.”
The Dons (24-8), in the meantime, might have clinched their spot within the NCAA Match.
“I’m happy with my guys. This was an enormous sport for a mess of causes. In case you’d been listening to the media all week, they have been making an attempt to construct this up as an elimination sport. I didn’t really feel that that was the case with our physique of labor. We left little doubt tonight,” stated USF coach Todd Golden.
“We managed the sport after the primary 4 minutes. These guys (Khalil Shabazz and Jamaree Bouyea) are the 2 finest guards within the league. I’m actually excited that this staff goes to be dancing.”
Golden referred to as it “one of many largest wins within the final 35 years” in program historical past.
“It secures our (NCAA) Match bid,” he added.
As for BYU? Its NCAA Match hopes stay precarious at finest. The Cougars might be headed for the Nationwide Invitation Match.
BYU had no reply for Shabazz and Bouyea. Shabazz poured in 22 factors, together with 5 of 9 from 3-point vary, whereas Bouyea completed with 18 factors and 4 assists.
What influence did Shabazz and Bouyea have on the result?
“All the pieces is run by them. A big effect,” stated BYU guard Spencer Johnson. “They made photographs and a number of robust photographs. They have been good tonight.”
“They’re terrific gamers. They’re harmful,” stated coach Mark Pope. “They complement one another rather well. They’re additionally a extremely disruptive pressure on the defensive finish in numerous methods.”
BYU, in the meantime, shot simply 38% from the sphere, together with a depressing 3 of 20 from 3-point vary.
Mixed, Gideon George, Caleb Lohner and Trevin Knell hit solely 2 of 18 from the ground.
The Cougar offense, which regarded so sharp in Friday’s second-round win over LMU, sputtered a lot of the evening towards USF.
Alex Barcello ended up with 19 factors however hit just one of 5 from 3-point territory. Fousseyni Traore recorded one other double-double with 16 factors and 12 rebounds and Johnson added 11 factors on 4 of 4 capturing.
“There have been some issues that we didn’t do as properly tonight as we had the final two weeks, some level of assault issues that have been somewhat bit shocking that we didn’t handle in addition to we had,” Pope stated.
“We have been 3 of 20 from the 3-point line. A part of that was as a result of we’ve simply received to search out methods to search out one another photographs extra constantly.”
The sport was shut all through the primary half because the Dons took a 27-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Early within the second half, the Cougars trailed 31-29, however then Barcello and Te’Jon Lucas picked up their third and fourth fouls, respectively.
The Dons appeared to get stronger as the sport went on.
With 13 minutes left, BYU missed three 3s on one possession as Trevin Knell banged a shot off the facet of the backboard, Lohner missed one other one after which Lucas airballed a 3 that went out of bounds.
Moments later, USF went on an 11-0 run, capped by a Shabazz 3-pointer to seize a 15-point lead, 54-39.
With somewhat greater than 4 minutes remaining, a floater by Barcello pulled to inside eight factors, 60-52.
However seconds later, Shabazz responded with one other 3-pointer, pushing USF’s lead again to double-digits, 63-52.
“We gave up some simple buckets in transition and it type of received them going,” Johnson stated. “It was nothing enormous. Some rebounds we didn’t give you and didn’t bounce our means.”
Within the closing seconds of the sport, Bouyea took a go after a steal and as an alternative of operating out the clock, he jammed a convincing dunk. His histrionics after the slam drew a technical foul.
As Golden stated later, that was an exclamation level on a convincing win, one which meant lots to USF’s program.
The victory additionally meant lots to Don massive man Volodymyr Markovetskyy, a Ukrainian whose father is defending his homeland in Ukraine towards Russian forces.
Markovetskyy solely scored three factors however he made life robust for BYU inside Saturday evening.
For the Cougars, it was a forgettable efficiency.
They made solely 11 of 18 free throws within the second half and have been outrebounded, 41-37.
Pope described the locker room after the disappointing loss.
“Extremely aggressive guys that put their complete coronary heart and soul into this. Guys performed with an incredible edge the final three weeks, making an attempt to resurrect themselves after taking some hits,” he stated.
“They did an unbelievable job preventing again. If you make investments that a lot, It’s onerous to lose. They understood the chance they'd in entrance of them tonight and so they put every little thing they'd into it … It hurts.”
USF is nice, Johnson stated, however so is his staff.
“Credit score to them. They performed rather well. Taking part in towards high-level groups is at all times a battle,” he stated.
“They got here out and hit some photographs. It simply didn’t go our means tonight, however I completely suppose we’re a event staff. We've got the blokes and the resume. We’ll bounce again. We at all times do and we at all times will.”
Now the Cougars will wait, a full week, till Choice Sunday, to search out out their postseason destiny.
“We’re excited to maintain enjoying,” Pope stated. “It’s a particular group. We’re hopeful.”