6. Jonathan Tavernari sticks around: Not only did the forward eschew the NBA, withdrawing his name from the draft in late May, the Brazilian-born forward spurned multiple offers to play for some serious cash in Europe. Why? Because he knew with four starters back, this Cougars team could be even better than the three previous league winners.

• Jimmer Fredette, BYU: Without Lee Cummard, the rising junior will need to contribute even more. Fredette, who finished fifth in the conference in scoring (16.6 ppg) as a sophomore last season, spent part of the summer at the NCAA-sanctioned King of Kings tourney in New York, where he dropped 41 in one game.

• Noah Hartsock, BYU: The rising sophomore came on strong at the end of last season, scoring more points in his final two games than his previous 10. Will be interesting to see if he can pick up where he left off.

• Tyler Haws, SG, BYU: Haws is one of the most prolific jump shooters in the nation. His stroke is flawless and feathery. He should be deadly in the Cougars' offense due to his shooting prowess and passing ability.