BYU Basketball: WCC releases new 16-game schedule

Since BYU joined the West Coast Conference, they’ve played each team in the league twice every year. For this upcoming season, that will change. It’s all part of the WCC’s “Basketball Enhancement Plan,” which is basically a system the conference is putting into place to allow teams to play a more diverse and NCAA Tournament-worthy schedule.

BYU has already shown commitment to playing more teams that will get them looks for the Big Dance, scheduling squads like Nevada, San Diego State, Mississippi State, Houston, and UNLV for the 2018-19 season.

As for Thursday morning’s announcement, the Cougars will only be playing Santa Clara and Pepperdine once each in 2018-19. The Cougars will face Santa Clara at the Marriott Center, but unfortunately will play Pepperdine at the Firestone Fieldhouse (where they have had some notoriously bad luck, we’re looking at you @BYUAllBlue). BYU will play the seven other WCC teams twice, as per usual.

Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s will both only face Portland once, Gonzaga seeing the Pilots in Portland and Saint Mary’s seeing them in Moraga. Saint Mary’s will travel to LMU but won’t see the Lions in Moraga. Gonzaga will host Pepperdine but not travel to Malibu. Read more and see the other WCC team’s schedules at this link.

Conference play will begin on January 3, 2019, according to the WCC’s tweet.

What do you think of the WCC’s efforts to beef up schedules? Are you excited at the prospect that BYU cannot lose to the likes of Pepperdine or Santa Clara twice in a season? How do you feel the hoops schedule is shaping up in general? Leave those thoughts in the comments below.

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