BYU Cougars celebrates after profitable a sport towards Gonzaga Bulldogs on the Marriott Middle in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. Mengshin Lin, Deseret Information
On Choice Sunday, the BYU ladies’s basketball workforce made a bit extra historical past.
The Cougars earned their finest seed ever within the NCAA Match – No. 6, surpassing their earlier finest, No. 7.
BYU is within the Wichita Bracket and can face No. 11 seed Villanova Saturday in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The winner of BYU-Villanova faces both No. 3 Michigan or No. 14 American.
“We knew that by means of our onerous work throughout the entire season, we made ourselves get into a great place to have this chance,” stated coach Jeff Judkins.
“As you get into the event, it’s actually not the place you’re seeded. It’s actually the matchup.”
Nonetheless, contemplating that the Cougars (26-3) have been ranked No. 15 in final week’s Related Press ballot they usually’ve put collectively their finest file in class historical past, it might be considered as a disappointment that they didn’t obtain an much more favorable seed.
However BYU was bracing for a No. 6 seed after falling to Gonzaga within the West Coast Convention Match championship sport final Tuesday.
“I’m simply excited that we’re in a bracket that I feel we will do some harm if we play our sport and do the issues that we have to,” Judkins stated.
“It’s thrilling. The women have labored onerous to have the ability to have this chance. We’ll be able to go.”
The Cougars gathered on the Marriott Middle Sunday afternoon to look at the Choice Present collectively on the video board whereas sitting on couches on the world flooring.
Because it turned out, they needed to wait nearly till the very finish of the present earlier than their identify was unveiled.
“All people’s actually excited for the following a part of the season,” stated guard Tegan Graham. “Everybody was a bit nervous. My palms have been sweating a bit, however everybody’s tremendous excited.”
Guard Paisley Harding stated the seed “doesn’t actually matter, truthfully. When it comes right down to it, it’s what we do on the day of the sport that basically issues.
“I nonetheless suppose we've nice potential on this event, it doesn't matter what seed we’re in.”
Villanova (23-8) is a member of the Huge East Convention. One of many Wildcats’ wins this season got here towards UConn, a No. 2 seed.
A commentator on ESPN’s Choice Present tabbed Villanova as a workforce that would go deep into the event.
What was the Cougars’ response to that?
“If I’m being sincere, I really feel this complete season, I don’t wish to say disrespected as a result of I don’t suppose that’s the suitable phrase, however we’ve been forgotten a bit bit,” Graham stated.
“I don’t suppose that’s essentially a nasty factor. The best way we play, the fashion of play we've, how aggressive we're, the best way we carry out game-in, game-out, we should always have a bit extra hype, however I’d quite be on the workforce that has that efficiency than the workforce that will get all of the hype after which doesn’t make it.”
Judkins wasn’t anticipating to play a workforce like Villanova.
“I’d thought we’d be enjoying Missouri. It was form of shocking that Villanova was there, however I feel it’s honest,” he stated.
“We’re going to should play effectively. If we’re lucky sufficient to win that, then most likely Michigan. It is going to be powerful enjoying them on their residence court docket, however that’s the best way will probably be. We look ahead to it, that’s for certain.”
Judkins stated he is aware of “a bit bit about Villanova. They’re a really controlling workforce that holds the ball and actually works it. It is going to be a giant problem for us that means. We haven’t seen a whole lot of that. Perhaps Portland gave us a bit little bit of that.”
The Wildcats are led by ahead Maddy Siegrist, who averages 25.9 factors and 9.5 rebounds per sport.
Judkins stated he’d spend Sunday evening and Monday morning watching Villanova video games to assist put together his workforce for the Wildcats.
“They play in Connecticut’s league and I understand how (UConn coach) Geno (Auriemma) performs,” Judkins stated. “I’ll have the ability to get a great really feel with that, I feel.”
Was BYU rewarded with a seed that matched its efficiency this season?
“I don’t know. It’s fairly onerous to see a few groups forward of you that you just had a means higher file than theirs and also you beat the identical groups they beat and also you beat them worse. (We) have been ranked many of the yr,” Judkins stated.
“We couldn’t have finished any greater than we did this yr. We tried to schedule each powerful sport. We have been hoping to run the desk and have the ability to host the NCAA Match right here, however that loss (to Gonzaga) actually harm us. I don’t know if we might have gotten it anyway. You see a few of these groups that struggled throughout the yr they usually get scorching they usually transfer them up actually excessive.”
However Judkins takes satisfaction that his workforce has earned a No. 6 seed, the perfect in program historical past.
“It implies that we’re getting higher. It implies that we’re scheduling higher and enjoying higher groups. I noticed a whole lot of these groups that received in there and we performed them. It’s a very constructive factor,” he stated.
“I feel if we had gained the (WCC Match) we might have been at the least a No. 5, possibly a No. 4, however we didn’t present up in that sport and possibly that may give us a spark. No. 6 is an efficient seed. Final yr, we have been No. 11. One yr that we received to the Candy 16, we have been a No. 11, in order that’s a great bracket for us.”