BYU basketball: 3 reasons why BYU can make noise in the WCC tourney

Nick Emery’s still got it

Emery entered Thursday’s game having scored single digits in four of his last six games. He’d been in a bit of a funk since mid-January, but hopefully his performance against San Diego changes things.

Emery scored 26 points on 67 percent shooting from the field and 71 percent from 3-point range. He took over the offense in a big way, and it reminded everyone that you can’t sleep on him.

Side note: Can we still call him The Villain? I feel like BYU nation is missing out on a potentially great nickname.

Dave Rose peaks late

Since BYU basketball joined the West Coast Conference, Dave Rose is 38-16 in February and March (not counting the NIT and NCAA Tournament).

He typically gets the Cougars going late, but sometimes it’s too little too late, resulting in a less-than-favorable seeding in the WCC tourney.

If BYU can win two of its final three games it will have locked up the No. 3 seed, meaning no Gonzaga until the title game. The No. 3 seed is still in play with one win, but it’s crucial the Cougars avoid Gonzaga for as long as possible.

So just remember, even though it seems likely that the Cougars will get shellacked next week in Spokane, it’s not over quite yet.