The BYU Cougars women's basketball team is the women's college basketball program representing Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. The Cougars began female collegiate basketball competition in 1972 and have won 18 conference championships. They compete in the Big 12 Conference.

History The BYU Cougars women's basketball team traces its roots to 1900, when a team was created at Brigham Young Academy, the precursor to BYU. Its official inaugural season was in 1972. From 1972 to 1977, the team was coached by Elaine Michaelis, during which time she simultaneously coached women's volleyball, field hockey, and softball at one point. The program found early success under coach Courtney Leishman, who took over in 1977, with the team winning five straight regular-season championships in the Intermountain Athletic Conference (IAC) from 1977–78 to 1981–82. The Cougars also made three appearances in the AIAW Tournament (1978, 1979, 1980), reaching the Sweet Sixteen in 1980. BYU made the transition to NCAA Division I and earned its first NCAA Tournament bid in the 1983–84 season. The Cougars competed in the High Country Athletic Conference (HCAC), Western Athletic Conference (WAC), and Mountain West Conference (MWC) during the years that followed, securing several conference titles. The team made notable NCAA Tournament appearances in the 1980s and 1990s, including a WAC Tournament Championship in 1993.

The most consistent period of success for the program came under head coach Jeff Judkins, who led the team from the 2001–02 season through 2021–22, becoming the winningest coach in program history. Judkins guided the Cougars to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen twice: 2002 and 2014. The team won multiple regular-season and tournament championships in both the Mountain West Conference and the West Coast Conference (WCC), which they joined in 2011. During their time in the WCC (2011–2023), BYU was a consistent contender, winning three WCC Tournament Championships (2012, 2015, 2019) and two WCC Regular Season Championships (2021, 2022). The BYU Cougars made a significant move in 2023, joining the Big 12 Conference.

As of 2025, the Cougars have been ranked in the AP poll a total of 38 times since 1977, with its highest rank at #15.

Venue

The Cougars play their home games in the Marriott Center, which is the largest basketball arena in the Big 12 Conference, with a capacity of 17,978.

Coaches Elaine Michaelis 1972–1977 48–28 Courtney Leishman 1977–1989 219–124 Jeanie Wilson 1989–1994 79–63 Soni Adams 1994–1997 28–55 Trent Shippen 1997–2001 72–49 Jeff Judkins 2001–2022 351–162 Amber Whiting 2022–2025 45–51 Lee Cummard 2025–present 26–12

Players The BYU women's basketball team has produced 16 All-Americans, including Tina Gunn Robison, who was the 1980 AWSF National Player of the Year. Players who have gone on to play in the WNBA include Erin Thorn, Ambrosia Anderson, and Jennifer Hamson.

Results by season

Postseason appearances

NCAA Division I BYU has reached the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament fifteen times. They have a record of 7–15. 1984 #8 First Round #1 USC L 72–97 1985 #8 First Round #1 Long Beach State L 85–112 1993 #12 First Round #5 UC Santa Barbara L 79–88 2000 #12 First Round #5 Oklahoma L 81–86 2002 #11 First RoundSecond RoundSweet Sixteen #6 Florida#3 Iowa State#2 Tennessee W 90–52W 75–69L 57–68 2003 #11 First Round #6 Colorado L 45–84 2006 #7 First RoundSecond Round #10 Iowa#2 Oklahoma W 67–62L 70–86 2007 #11 First Round #6 Louisville L 54–80 2012 #10 First Round #7 DePaul L 55–59 2014 #12 First RoundSecond RoundSweet Sixteen #5 NC State#4 Nebraska#1 Connecticut W 72–57W 80–76L 51–70 2015 #14 First Round #3 Louisville L 53–86 2016 #7 First Round #10 Missouri L 69–78 2019 #7 First RoundSecond Round #10 Auburn#2 Stanford W 73–64L 63–72 2021 #11 First RoundSecond Round #6 Rutgers#3 Arizona W 69–66L 46–52 2022 #6 First Round #11 Villanova L 57–61

WBIT BYU has made the WBIT two times. They are 4–2, reaching as far as the championship game in 2026 and losing in the Championship game to the Columbia Lions. 2024 NS First Round #4 Santa Clara L 59–60 2026 #1 First RoundSecond RoundQuarterfinalsSemifinalsFinals Alabama A&M#4 Missouri#2 Stanford#2 Kansas#4 Columbia W 72–47W 93–75W 76–61W 70–67L 64–81 WNIT BYU has made the Women's National Invitation Tournament nine times and has a 10-9 record

References

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