by Mike Miller
As a new year begins, BYU fans will have a fresh set of sports to root for, along with a couple of sports carrying over from the fall. While not everyone will be underway this week, follow along for everything you need to know for the new seasons.
Men’s Basketball
The Cougars had a relatively joyous Christmas break, going 2-1 in the Diamond Head Classic. Wins over South Florida and Liberty will bolster BYU’s tournament resume, while a two-point loss to 8-4 Vanderbilt is nothing to be ashamed of. Back in Provo on Wednesday, BYU beat Westminster 65-53 in their final non-conference game. A WCC opener against Portland on New Year’s Day was postponed due to COVID issues with the Pilots.
Next Up: WCC play will hopefully begin with two home games this week. On Thursday, BYU hosts Pacific at 7:00 p.m. MST on BYUtv. On Saturday, the Cougars welcome Saint Mary’s at 8:00 p.m. MST on ESPN2.
Women’s Basketball
The WCC opener for the women was also postponed twice. Thursday’s game vs San Diego and Saturday’s game vs Portland were both called off due to COVID issues (not with BYU).
Next Up: The Cougars will try to start WCC play again this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. MST at San Francisco. On Saturday, BYU will hopefully host Pacific at 2:00 p.m. MST on BYUtv.
Football
While the season is over, there was still a decent amount of news surrounding BYU Football. RB Tyler Allgeier, OL James Empey, and WR Neil Pau’u have all declared for the NFL draft. OL Clark Barrington and RB Lopini Katoa will be returning for another year, while QB Baylor Romney has entered the transfer portal.
Women’s Gymnastics
Their season begins this Friday. The Cougars start the season ranked #19.
Next Up: The Holy War comes to the gym as BYU faces #4 Utah at 7:00 p.m. MST. The meet will be held at the Maverick Center in West Valley.
Men’s Volleyball
Their season also begins this week. BYU starts the season ranked #6, which includes two first-place votes.
Next Up: BYU starts their season at #5 Penn State with a pair of games. The match on Thursday starts at 5:00 p.m. MST, with Saturday’s contest at the same time.
Featured image courtesy Darryl Oumi/Getty Images