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Team: BYU Cougars
Sport: NCAA Division I Men's basketball
Head Coach: Mark Pope
Conference: West Coast Conference
Home Games: Marriot Center in Provo, Utah
Rivals: University of Utah, Gonzaga, San Diego State
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The Brigham Young University Cougars have made 29 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, but they have yet to make it to the Final Four. This year, Mark Pope is the lead coach. It's his first year, but already BYU is making strong showings in very tough conference play. Jake Toolson, TJ Haws and Alex Barcello lead the team in scoring, assists, steals and blocks with Dalton Nixon putting up strong rebounding numbers. The standouts work together with the rest of the players. Whether the team is hosting West Coast Conference opponents at home or fighting it out at
Vivint Smart Home Arena
in Salt Lake City against longtime rival the University of Utah, the young team is always ready to play. With games against highly ranked teams like Gonzaga and San Francisco every season, the Cougars have a chance to really show their power. You can find tickets to high-stakes games and even a few low-stakes matchups at StubHub.
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The BYU Cougars’ home games take place in Provo, Utah, at the
Marriott Center
. The venue seats over 18,000 and is considered one of the top five places to play in the country. When the Cougars hit the road, they travel to Portland, Spokane and other West Coast areas for conference play. The team was invited to the Maui Invitational and they are ending the season in Malibu with a matchup against Pepperdine.
''The BYU Cougars rank 25th nationwide for paid attendees. Factor in students, faculty and other guests and you can see that BYU has a true home-court advantage in terms of fans. Additionally, the Cougars have won 27 regular-season conference titles. Tournaments like the Beehive Classic are a big draw, but so are matches against rivals Boise State, Weber State and Gonzaga.'
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The
Beehive Classic
is an intrastate rivalry held annually between four of Utah's biggest D-I basketball programs. The teams include the University of Utah, Brigham Young, Utah State and Weber State. Attendance is high and the game is held in neutral territory, at the Vivant Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. Visitors can enjoy the game as well as the amenities in and near Salt Lake City.
''Mark Pope comes to BYU from Utah Valley University where he held a 77-56 record. BYU's hiring staff chose Pope for his commitment to the school and the basketball team. According to Pope, BYU places basketball in high esteem. He told reporters that he wants to be a coach at a school where basketball matters. At BYU, he was offered the chance to pick his own staff. He filled out the staff with assistant coaches Chris Burgess and Cody Fueger, both from UVU and Nick Robinson, who has held positions at Stanford, Southern Utah and Seattle.'
'Seniors TJ Haws, Dalton Nixon, Jake Toolson and Evan Troy are a few of BYU's top players. When the 2019-2020 season is over, junior Alex Barcello will be one of the strongest players. As Mark Pope works with recruits and younger players it is likely new names and faces will emerge to fill the gaps that Haws, Nixon, Toolson and Troy will leave behind. BYU has made it to the Elite Eight three times in its history, and these players hope to lead the team deep into the NCAA Tournament once again.'