by Mike Miller
After a rough start to the spring season for some teams, nearly everyone picked up a win last week, hopefully spelling good times ahead for BYU in 2022.
Men’s Basketball
The Cougars enjoyed the friendly confines of the Marriott Center, winning two tough WCC games last week. On Thursday, they did just enough to stay ahead of San Diego, winning 79-71. Alex Barcello’s game-high 22 points propelled BYU to coach Mark Pope’s 60th win with the program. On Saturday, BYU relied on a strong second-half performance to beat Portland 78-65. Birthday boy Fousseyni Traore had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Next Up: A pair of California road games await the Cougars this week. On Thursday, they visit Santa Clara at 9:00 p.m. MST followed by Pacific at 7:30 p.m. MST on Saturday. Both games will be on ESPNU. Finishing just outside the Top 25 this week, BYU is hoping two more victories will be enough to get them back in the rankings.
Women’s Basketball
Another week, another victory for women’s basketball. The ladies’ impressive run has been rewarded with the No. 16 ranking in the country. After Thursday’s game at Pepperdine was postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Waves, the Cougars went to San Diego on Saturday. A hard-fought 73-64 victory was in order, with Shaylee Gonzales’ 29 points pacing the Cougars. San Diego will be in the Marriott Center tonight (Monday) for a 5:00 p.m. MST rematch on BYUtv.
Next Up: BYU is home for two more games this week. On Thursday, Santa Clara visits at 7:00 p.m. MST. Their California neighbor San Francisco comes to town at 2:00 p.m. MST on Saturday. Both games will be on BYUtv.
Men’s Golf
Next Up: The spring season began yesterday with the Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson.
Women’s Gymnastics
The state of Utah was treated to an in-state ranked matchup on Friday night when No. 21 BYU visited No. 18 SUU. The Cougars narrowly lost by .025. Despite the loss, the team posted a season-best 196.425.
Next Up: Another in-state ranked meet this week, as No. 23 USU comes to Provo Friday. The contest starts at 7:00 p.m. MST on BYUtv.
Swim and Dive
Next Up: Those in Provo can come to the Richards Building on Friday and Saturday for the Holy War. The dive competition is Friday at 5:00 p.m. MST, followed by swim on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. MST.
Men’s Tennis
The in-state fun continued in men’s tennis as the Cougars went to Ogden on Saturday. BYU went 5-1 in singles play and 2-1 in doubles play over Weber State.
Next Up: On Friday at 2:00 p.m. MST, BYU hosts Grand Canyon University.
Women’s Tennis
The ladies had a tough week, but gained lots of experience with three competitions, all on the road. They lost to Illinois in Las Vegas before visiting both Washington State and Washington.
Next Up: The road matches continue with the ITA Kick-off Weekend in Berkeley, California. Details for the tournament have yet to be announced.
Track and Field
The men and women traveled to Air Force for an invitational, taking home 14 personal bests and a slew of victories in the process. The men are ranked No. 6, with the women coming in at No. 7 in the new national rankings.
Next Up: The teams travel up to Seattle for the UW Invitational against the University of Washington. Friday’s competitions start at 4:00 PM MST, while Saturday’s action gets underway at 11:00 AM MST.
Men’s Volleyball
After a disappointing start to the season, No. 10 BYU beat No. 13 UC Irvine twice over the weekend. Friday’s match was the Cougars’ home opener, which they won in a five-set thriller. Saturday’s game was much more relaxed, as the Cougars swept the Anteaters.
Next Up: The University of Mount Olive is the latest foe to enter the Smith Fieldhouse. The two schools will face off twice this week, Thursday and Saturday. Both matches start at 7:00 p.m. MST on BYUtv.
Featured image courtesy Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo