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BYU Basketball: Cougars will travel to Reno in November

By Shaun Gordon

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 22: Cody Martin #11 and Josh Hall #33 of the Nevada Wolf Pack look on after being defeated by the Loyola Ramblers during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Loyola defeated Nevada 69-68. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 22: Cody Martin #11 and Josh Hall #33 of the Nevada Wolf Pack look on after being defeated by the Loyola Ramblers during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament South Regional at Philips Arena on March 22, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. Loyola defeated Nevada 69-68. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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BYU Basketball’s 2018-19 non-conference schedule is two-thirds complete, with the Cougars scheduling one of their toughest opponents of the season.

Jon Rothstein Strikes again.

The CBS and FanRag reporter just broke another piece of BYU Basketball news. BYU’s non-conference schedule is expanding, and they’ll head to Reno in November to take on Nevada:

According to Rothstein, this game will be part of a home-and-home series with the Wolf Pack, with this years game on November 6th. Nevada will come to the Marriott Center in 2019-20, The date for that game isn’t set yet.

This is a huge early-season test for the Cougars. The Wolf Pack went 28-9 last season, earning a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament. They reached the Sweet 16, including a stunning come-from-behind win in the second round over No. 2 seed Cincinnati.

Then Cinderella Struck. Loyola-Chicago snuck past Nevada 69-68 on their way to the Final Four.

If the Wolf Pack bring everyone back they’ll be a preseason Top 15 team, but, just like with the Cougars, there’s plenty of roster uncertainty. Three of Nevada’s Best players – Caleb Martin, Cody Martin, and Jordan Caroline – are testing the NBA Draft waters without an agent, just like Yoeli Childs.

If all three come back to school, Nevada could rival Gonzaga as the toughest opponent that BYU will face all year.

Even if they lose one or all, the Wolf Pack will be dangerous. This is a deep and senior-led team, but the biggest piece may be incoming freshman Jordan Brown, a 5-Star Power Forward out of California. He’s one of the top recruits in the country, and he’ll single-handedly make Nevada dangerous.

If you combine him with the Martin brothers and Caroline, Nevada is a team that can make a deep run next season.

This is another huge scheduling coup for BYU Head Coach Dave Rose. He talked in April about the need to schedule more quality opponents. With 10 of the likely 15 non-conference games scheduled, this is turning into a resume-building set of games.

More from BYU Basketball

Now all the Cougars have to do is win most of them.

Non-Conference Games Confirmed:

  • at Nevada
  • Houston
  • at San Diego State
  • vs. UNLV (T-Mobile Arena is Las Vegas)
  • at Mississippi State
  • at Weber State
  • Utah State
  • vs. Utah (Vivint Smarthome Arena in Salt Lake City)
  • at Illinois State
  • Utah Valley
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