What if Brandon Davies wasn’t suspended from BYU basketball in 2011?

What Happened

In March 2011, reports broke that Brandon Davies had been dismissed from the BYU basketball team for engaging in premarital sex – a violation of the school’s honor code.

Depending on where you looked, it was either a horrendous reminder of BYU’s conservative value system, or a refreshing example of a school sticking to its values.

But, keeping things on the court, it was a tough time to lose Davies. He was in the midst of the best basketball of his college career. From January 1 through February 26 (the final game he played in that season), Davies was on a tear.

In those 15 games, he had 11 double-digit scoring performances, including three 15+ point games. He shot 48 percent in that span, added 8.9 rebounds per game, and was averaging 28 minutes per night.

On February 26, Davies and the No. 7 Cougars defeated No. 6 San Diego State on the road. The talk began of a potential No. 1 NCAA Tournament, as the Cougars were 27-2.

On March 1, ESPN reported the news of his dismissal.

The next day, BYU basketball promptly lost in blowout fashion to New Mexico. In the Mountain West Conference Tournament, the Cougars fell to San Diego State (the first loss to SDSU that season) in the title game.

BYU basketball earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and defeated Wofford and Gonzaga en route to a matchup with No. 2 seed Florida.

It took an overtime period, but the Gators knocked off BYU basketball in the Sweet 16.

Other than Jimmer Fredette, no other Cougar scored in double figures.

BYU was outrebounded by Florida, and the Gators shot 47.7 percent from the field. When all was said and done, BYU basketball finished the season with a 32-5 record.