# 2017–18 BYU Cougars men's basketball team

The 2017–18 BYU Cougars men's basketball team represented Brigham Young University in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was head coach Dave Rose's 13th season at BYU and the Cougars seventh season as members of the West Coast Conference. The Cougars played their home games at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. They finished the season 24–11, 11–7 in West Coast Conference play to finish in third place. As the No. 3 seed in the WCC tournament, they defeated San Diego in the quarterfinals and Saint Mary's in the semifinals before losing to Gonzaga in the championship game. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they were defeated by Stanford in the first round.

## Previous season

The Cougars finished the 2016–17 season 22–12, 12–6 in WCC play to finish in third place. They defeated Loyola Marymount in the quarterfinals of the WCC tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to Saint Mary's. They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Texas–Arlington.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Zach Frampton | 2 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Freshman | Alpine, UT | Transferred to Dixie State |
| Nick Emery | 4 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Junior | Alpine, Utah | Withdrew from college due NCAA violations |
| L.J. Rose | 5 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Senior | Houston, TX | Graduated |
| Eric Mika | 12 | F | 6'10" | 230 | Sophomore | Alpine, UT | Went pro and signed with U.S. Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro of Lega Basket Serie A in Italy |
| Colby Leifson | 13 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Freshman | Suwanee, GA | LDS mission (returning in 2019) |
| Kyle Davis | 21 | F | 6'8" | 225 | RS Senior | Draper, UT | Graduated |
| Steven Beo | 25 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Freshman | Richland, WA | Transferred to Eastern Washington |
| Jamal Aytes | 40 | F | 6'6" | 235 | RS Junior | San Diego, CA | Transferred to Southern Utah |
| Corbin Kaufusi | 44 | F | 6'10" | 255 | Junior | Provo, Utah | Left team to focus on football |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jahshire Hardnett | 0 | G | 6'0" | 185 | Sophomore | Gulfport, MS | Transferred from Chipola College. |
| Kajon Brown | 13 | G | 6'5" | 200 | Junior | Houston, TX | Transferred from Lee College. |
| McKay Cannon | 24 | G | 6'0" | 185 | Junior | Shelley, ID | Transferred from Weber State; will red-shirt the season. |

## Recruiting class of 2017

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Kolby Lee #20 C | Meridian, ID | Rocky Mountain High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | Aug 3, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Christian PoPoola Jr. #46 SG | Las Vegas, NV | Bishop Gorman High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 3, 2016 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: nr Rivals: nr 247Sports: 109 ESPN: nr ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "BYU 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2017 BYU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. "2017 BYU Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. ||||||

### Recruiting class of 2018

College recruiting information (2018) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Connor Harding #29 SG | Pocatello, ID | Highland High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jul 29, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Gavin Baxter #24 SF | Provo, UT | Timpview High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jun 8, 2015 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: nr Rivals: nr 247Sports: 109 ESPN: nr |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "BYU 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2018 BYU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. "2018 BYU Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. |||||||

### 2017–18 return missionaries

BYU's roster will feature four missionaries for the new season. First up is Zac Seljaas who returns after coming home early for a shoulder injury.
College recruiting information (2015) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Zac Seljaas G | Bountiful, Utah | Bountiful | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | May 19, 2014 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: nr Rivals: nr 247Sports: 109 ESPN: nr |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "BYU 2015 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2015 BYU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. "2015 BYU Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. |||||||
Up next Ryan Andrus and Dalton Nixon return.
College recruiting information (2014) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ryan Andrus F | American Fork, Utah | American Fork | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jul 31, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 70 |||||||
| Dalton Nixon F | Orem, Utah | Orem | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 12, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 75 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 22 Rivals: 17 ESPN: 22 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "BYU 2014 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2014 BYU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||
Rounding out the group of four was Luke Worthington.
College recruiting information (2013) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Luke Worthington F | Mequon, Wisconsin | Homestead | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Sep 3, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 22 Rivals: 17 ESPN: 16 |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "BYU 2013 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. "2013 BYU Basketball Commits". Scout.com. "ESPN". ESPN.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## 2017–18 media
### Nu Skin BYU Sports Network

BYU Radio- Flagship Station, Nationwide (Dish Network 980, Sirius XM 143, and byuradio.org) KSL 102.7 FM and 1160 AM- (Salt Lake City/ Provo, UT and ksl.com) KTHK- Blackfoot/ Idaho Falls/ Pocatello/ Rexburg, ID KMGR- Manti, UT KSUB- Cedar City, UT KDXU- St. George, UT
* Play-by-Play: Greg Wrubell or Jason Shepherd
* Analysts: Mark Durrant or Terry Nashiff
* Studio Hosts: Jason Shepherd or Ben Bagley

## Roster

* Nick Emery (G- #4) was originally part of the roster. However a combination of an NCAA investigation and an off-season divorce caused him to withdraw from school for the 2017–18 season.

## Schedule and results

The 2017–18 non-conferesnce schedule was announced on July 11, 2017. Highlights on the schedule include a trip to defending Ivy League champions Princeton, a rematch with UT Arlington (who ended BYU's season in 2016–17), Barclay's Center Classic matches against Alabama and UMass, and four in-state opponents in Utah Valley, Utah State, Weber State (as part of the inaugural Beehive Classic), and Utah.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition ||||||
| Oct 27, 2017* 7:30 pm | | at New Mexico Charity Exhibition for Hurricane Victims | W 79–73 | – | Dreamstyle Arena Albuquerque, NM |
| Nov 1, 2017* 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Westminster | W 76–62 | – | Marriott Center Provo, UT |
| Nov 8, 2017* 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Colorado College | W 95–35 | – | Marriott Center Provo, UT |
| Non-Conference Regular Season ||||||
| Nov 11, 2017* 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Mississippi Valley State | W 91–61 | 1–0 | Marriott Center (14,019) Provo, UT |
| Nov 15, 2017* 5:00 pm, NBCSCA | | at Princeton | W 65–56 | 2–0 | Jadwin Gymnasium (1,842) Princeton, NJ |
| Nov 18, 2017* 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | UT Arlington Barclays Center Classic | L 75–89 | 2–1 | Marriott Center (13,363) Provo, UT |
| Nov 21, 2017* 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Niagara Barclays Center Classic | W 95–88 | 3–1 | Marriott Center (10,791) Provo, UT |
| Nov 24, 2017* 12:30 pm, Stadium | | vs. No. 25 Alabama Barclays Center Classic | L 59–71 | 3–2 | Steinberg Wellness Center (1,240) Brooklyn, NY |
| Nov 25, 2017* 12:30 pm, Stadium | | vs. UMass Barclays Center Classic | W 68–66 | 4–2 | Barclays Center (3,469) Brooklyn, NY |
| Nov 29, 2017* 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | at Utah Valley UCCU Crosstown Clash/Old Oquirrh Bucket | W 85–58 | 5–2 | UCCU Center (7,574) Orem, UT |
| Dec 2, 2017* 7:00 pm, ATTRM | | at Utah State Old Oquirrh Bucket | W 75–66 | 6–2 | Dee Glen Smith Spectrum (10,206) Logan, UT |
| Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Illinois State | W 80–68 | 7–2 | Marriott Center (12,250) Provo, UT |
| Dec 9, 2017* 8:00 pm, BYUtv | | vs. Weber State Beehive Classic/Old Oquirrh Bucket | W 74–68 | 8–2 | Vivint Smart Home Arena (7,729) Salt Lake City, UT |
| Dec 16, 2017* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Utah Old Oquirrh Bucket/Deseret First Duel | W 77–65 | 9–2 | Marriott Center (16,272) Provo, UT |
| Dec 21, 2017* 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Idaho State | W 85–71 | 10–2 | Marriott Center (14,660) Provo, UT |
| Dec 23, 2017* 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Texas Southern | W 73–52 | 11–2 | Marriott Center (14,583) Provo, UT |
| WCC regular season ||||||
| Dec 28, 2017 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Portland | W 69–45 | 12–2 (1–0) | Marriott Center (16,592) Provo, UT |
| Dec 30, 2017 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | Saint Mary's | L 64–74 $^{OT}$ | 12–3 (1–1) | Marriott Center (16,212) Provo, UT |
| Jan 4, 2018 9:00 pm, ATTRM | | at San Francisco | W 69–59 | 13–3 (2–1) | War Memorial Gymnasium (1,837) San Francisco, CA |
| Jan 6, 2018 8:00 pm, BYUtv | | at Pacific | L 66–67 | 13–4 (2–2) | Alex G. Spanos Center (2,897) Stockton, CA |
| Jan 11, 2018 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Pepperdine | W 83–63 | 14–4 (3–2) | Marriott Center (13,223) Provo, UT |
| Jan 13, 2018 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | at Santa Clara | W 84–50 | 15–4 (4–2) | Leavey Center (3,369) Santa Clara, CA |
| Jan 18, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | Loyola Marymount | W 82–67 | 16–4 (5–2) | Marriott Center (12,109) Provo, UT |
| Jan 20, 2018 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | San Diego | W 74–58 | 17–4 (6–2) | Marriott Center (13,449) Provo, UT |
| Jan 25, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 16 Saint Mary's | L 62–75 | 17–5 (6–3) | McKeon Pavilion (3,500) Moraga, CA |
| Jan 27, 2018 7:00 pm, BYUtv | | Pacific | W 80–65 | 18–5 (7–3) | Marriott Center (16,456) Provo, UT |
| Feb 1, 2018 9:00 pm, ATTRM | | at Loyola Marymount | L 69–76 | 18–6 (7–4) | Gersten Pavilion (1,180) Los Angeles, CA |
| Feb 3, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 14 Gonzaga Rivalry | L 60–68 | 18–7 (7–5) | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, WA |
| Feb 8, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | Santa Clara | W 80–58 | 19–7 (8–5) | Marriott Center (11,638) Provo, UT |
| Feb 10, 2018 2:00 pm, BYUtv/ATTRM | | San Francisco | W 75–73 $^{OT}$ | 20–7 (9–5) | Marriott Center (12,815) Provo, UT |
| Feb 15, 2018 8:00 pm, BYUtv | | at Pepperdine | W 75–70 $^{OT}$ | 21–7 (10–5) | Firestone Fieldhouse (1,504) Malibu, CA |
| Feb 17, 2018 2:00 pm, BYUtv/ATTRM | | at San Diego | L 62–75 | 21–8 (10–6) | Jenny Craig Pavilion San Diego, CA |
| Feb 22, 2018 9:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Portland | W 72–60 | 22–8 (11–6) | Chiles Center (3,003) Portland, OR |
| Feb 24, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 6 Gonzaga Rivalry | L 65–79 | 22–9 (11–7) | Marriott Center (18,987) Provo, UT |
| WCC tournament ||||||
| Mar 3, 2018 12:00 pm, BYUtv/ATTRM | (3) | vs. (6) San Diego Quarterfinals | W 85–79 | 23–9 | Orleans Arena (7,279) Paradise, NV |
| Mar 5, 2018 8:30 pm, ESPN2 | (3) | vs. (2) No. 20 Saint Mary's Semifinals | W 85–72 | 24–9 | Orleans Arena (8,296) Paradise, NV |
| Mar 6, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | (3) | vs. (1) No. 6 Gonzaga Championship/Rivalry | L 54–74 | 24–10 | Orleans Arena (8,030) Paradise, NV |
| NIT ||||||
| Mar 14, 2018* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | (6) | at (3) Stanford First round – USC Bracket | L 83–86 | 24–11 | Maples Pavilion (1,839) Sanford, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Mountain. ||||||

## Game summaries
### Cougar Tipoff

Broadcasters: Spencer Linton & Jarom Jordan Starting Lineups:
* BYU Blue: Zac Seljaas, Elijah Bryant, Nick Emery, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws
* BYU White: Jahshire Hardnett, Rylan Bergensen, Kajon Brown, Dalton Nixon, Luke Worthington

### Exhibition: New Mexico

Broadcasters: Jeff Siembieda & Hunter Greene (New Mexico Radio Network exclusive) Starting Lineups:
* BYU: Elijah Bryant, Nick Emery, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws, Luke Worthington
* New Mexico: Chris McNeal, Sam Logwood, Joe Furstinger, Dane Kuiper, Troy Simons

### Exhibition: Westminster

Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, & Spencer Linton Starting Lineups:
* Westminster: Sam Orchard, Dayon Goodman, Quincy Bair, Jarred Laws, Scott Cook
* BYU : Elijah Bryant, Nick Emery, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws, Luke Worthington

### Exhibition: Colorado College

Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, & Spencer Linton Starting Lineups:
* Colorado College: Eric Houska, Bobby Roth, CooXioEli Black, Ryan Young, Chris Martin
* BYU: Zac Seljaas, Elijah Bryant, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws, Luke Worthington

### Mississippi Valley State

Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, & Spencer Linton Series History: BYU leads 2–0 Starting Lineups:
* MVSU: Dante Scott, Jordan Evans, Tereke Eckwood, Arinze Anakwenze, Jaal Watson
* BYU: Zac Seljaas, Elijah Bryant, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws, Luke Worthington

### Princeton

Broadcasters: Derek Jones & Noah Savage Series History: BYU leads 5–0 Starting Lineups:
* BYU: Zac Seljaas, Elijah Bryant, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws, Luke Worthington
* Princeton: Devin Cannady, Amir Bell, Myles Stephens, Ryan Schwieger, Alec Brennan

### UT Arlington

Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, & Spencer Linton Series History: Series even 1–1 Starting Lineups:
* UT Arlington: Erick Neal, Nathan Hawkins, Kaelon Wilson, Johnny Hamilton, Kevin Hervey
* BYU: Zac Seljaas, Elijah Bryant, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws, Luke Worthington

### Niagara

Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, & Spencer Linton Series History: BYU leads 5–2 Starting Lineups:
* Niagara: Chris Barton, Kahlil Dukes, Marvin Prochet, Matt Scott, Dominic Robb
* BYU: Jahshire Hardnett, Zac Seljaas, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws, Luke Worthington

### Alabama

Broadcasters: Chris Hassel, Tim Doyle, & Kristen Balboni Series History: Alabama leads 1–0 Starting Lineups:
* BYU: Jahshire Hardnett, Elijah Bryant, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws, Luke Worthington
* Alabama: Donta Hall, Collin Sexton, Daniel Giddens, Dazon Ingram, John Petty

### UMass

Broadcasters: Chris Hassel, Tim Doyle, & Kristen Balboni Series History: BYU leads 5–0 Starting Lineups:
* BYU: Jahshire Hardnett, Elijah Bryant, Yoeli Childs, TJ Haws, Luke Worthington
* UMass: Malik Hines, Luwane Pipkins, C.J. Anderson, Rayshawn Miller, Rashaan Holloway