The 2021–22 BYU Cougars men's basketball team represented Brigham Young University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was head coach Mark Pope's third season as BYU's head coach and the Cougars eleventh season as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC). The Cougars played their home games at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah. They finished the season 24–11, 9–6 in WCC Play to finish in 5th place. They defeated Loyola Marymount in the Second Round of the WCC tournament before losing in the Third Round to San Francisco. They received an at-large bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Long Beach State and Northern Iowa to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to Washington State.
Previous season
The Cougars finished the 2020–21 season 20–7, 10–3 in West Coast Conference play to finish in second place. As the Number 2 seed in the WCC Tournament, they lost to Gonzaga in the finals. BYU received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as a Number 6 seed. UCLA defeated BYU in the first round of the tournament 73–62.
Offseason
Departures Matt Haarms and Brandon Averette waived their additional season of eligibility due to coronavirus and joined professional teams in Europe. Wyatt Lowell, Kolby Lee and Connor Harding all transferred to other Utah colleges and universities. Due to injuries, Jesse Wade graduated early and decided to forgo additional years of college eligibility and end his college basketball career. In mid-July, media reports indicated that Brandon Warr had decided to leave the team to focus on school and that Cameron Pearson had decided to transfer from BYU. +NameNumberPositionHeightWeightYearHometownReason for DepartureWyatt Lowell1F6'10"205JuniorGilbert, ArizonaTransferred to Snow CollegeBrandon Warr2F6'5"210SeniorSalt Lake City, UtahLeft team to focus on schoolMatt Haarms3C7'3"250SeniorAmsterdam, NetherlandsJoined professional club in Germany Skyliners FrankfurtBrandon Averette4G5'11"185SeniorRichardson, TexasJoined professional club in Cyprus AEL Limassol B.C.Jesse Wade10G6'1"175SophomoreKaysville, UtahGraduated earlyCameron Pearson15G6'0"175Redshirt SophomoreLakewood, ColoradoGraduatedKolby Lee40F6'9"260JuniorMeridian, IdahoTransferred to Dixie State and then retired in AugustConnor Harding44G6"6"185JuniorPocatello, IdahoTransferred to Utah Valley
Incoming transfers Two players joined the roster after entering the transfer portal during the offseason. Te'Jon Lucas was recruited by Utah, Nevada, DePaul and New Mexico State but committed to BYU on May 19. He is a redshirt senior and has one year of eligibility due to COVID-19 eligibility extension. On July 19, Seneca Knight announced he had committed to BYU after two full seasons at San Jose State and transferring to LSU mid-season. He is a junior and was also considering transferring to Georgia Southern and Idaho. On September 24, Knight received a waiver from the NCAA is will be eligible to play for the 2021–22 season. +NameNumberPositionHeightWeightYearHometownPrevious schoolYears remainingDate eligibleWalk-on/ ScholarshipRivals247SportsESPNESPN GradeTe'Jon Lucas3G6'2"180Redshirt SeniorMilwaukee, WisconsinWisconsin, Milwaukee & Illinois1October 1, 2021Scholarship3-star3-star3-star79Seneca Knight24G6'7"215JuniorLafayette, LouisianaLSU & San Jose State2October 1, 2021ScholarshipN/AN/AN/AN/A
Returned missionaries Four returned missionaries were added to the roster for the 2021–22 season. Nate Hansen and Trey Stewart will hold scholarship positions while Casey Brown and Jeremy DowDell will join as preferred walk-ons. Each of the four players have four years of eligibility remaining. +NameNumberPositionHeightWeightMissionary service yearsMission locationHometownPrevious schoolYears remainingRecruiting classRivals247SportsESPNESPN GradeTrey Stewart1G6'3"1952019–20 & 2020–21England & WashingtonAmerican Fork, UTAmerican Fork42019N/AN/A4-star80Jeremy DowDell2G6'3"1802019–20 & 2020–21Argentina & HoustonSalt Lake City, UTOlympus42019N/AN/AN/AN/ANate Hansen10G6'3"1652019–20 & 2020–21ArkansasProvo, UTTimpview420193-star3-starN/AN/ACasey Brown55G6'3"1752019–20 & 2020–21 Argentina & San JosePleasant Grove, UTPleasant Grove42019N/AN/AN/AN/A
Currently serving missionaries Six players committed to BYU are completing missionary service during the 2021–22 season. Four of these players - Dallin Hall, Tanner Hayhurst, Richie Saunders and Tanner Toolson will complete their service during the season and will join the roster for the 2022–23 season. Townsend Tripple delayed his missionary assignment to Argentina and was part of the roster during the 2020–21 season. Jake Wahlin was part of the 2021 recruiting class and plans to complete a mission trip and join the team for the 2023–24 season. +NameNumberPositionHeightWeightMissionary service yearsMission locationHometownPrevious schoolYears remainingRecruiting classRivals247SportsESPNESPN GradeDallin Hall–G6'3"1802020–21 & 2021–22PhilippinesOgden, UtahFremont High School420203-star3-starN/AN/ATanner Hayhurst–G6'6"1752020–21 & 2021–22LouisianaEagle, IdahoEagle High School42020N/AN/AN/AN/ARichie Saunders–G6'5"1802020–21 & 2021–22Washington & MadagascarMount Pleasant, UtahWasatch Academy420203-star3-starN/AN/ATanner Toolson–G6'5"1852020–21 & 2021–22FloridaVancouver, WashingtonUnion High School42020N/AN/AN/AN/ATownsend Tripple24F6'8"2002021–22 & 2022–23ArgentinaMeridian, IdahoRocky Mountain High School42020N/AN/AN/AN/AJake Wahlin–F6'8"1952021–22 & 2022–23LithuaniaProvo, UtahTimpview High School420213-star3-star3-star75
2021 Recruiting class Jake Wahlin committed to BYU in early September and officially signed on November 11, 2020. Wahlin was recruited by Arizona State, San Diego State and New Mexico as well as other schools. He plans to complete a mission trip and join the team for the 2023–24 season. In addition, forward Fousseyni Traore from Wasatch Academy signed with the Cougars on November 19, over schools such as Seton Hall and Utah State. He will join the program for the 2021–22 season. Atiki Ally Atiki, from the London Basketball Academy in Ontario, Canada, verbally committed to BYU on February 15, 2021, and will also join the program for the 2021–22 season. On August 8, 2021, Paora Winitana, from American Heritage School in Utah, committed to BYU as a walk-on. He plans to complete a mission after one year on the team.
2022 Recruiting class Collin Chandler committed and signed with BYU on November 10, 2021. Chandler was recruited by Utah, Arizona, Stanford, and Utah State. He will go on a mission and enroll at BYU in 2024. He is the highest ranked BYU recruit since Eric Mika in 2013. Adam Stewart committed to BYU after being recruited since 7th grade. He will be a walk-on starting with the 2024–25 season after completing a mission to Paris, France. Braeden Moore committed to BYU after he had originally committed in 2021 to play at Rutgers. He was recruited by Kansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Arizona State, Houston, San Diego State, and Auburn.
Roster
Media coverage
Radio Greg Wrubell and Mark Durrant return to call men's basketball for the 2021–22 season. Jason Shepherd will act as the host for most games, though Ben Bagley will fill-in for Shepherd when he has women's soccer, baseball, or college basketball duties. Terry Nashif will fill-in for Durrant on a select number of games. Jarom Jordan filled-in for Wrubell Nov. 20 against Central Methodist when Wrubell had football duties, and Shepherd filled-in against Missouri State (Dec. 4) and Weber State (Dec. 18) when Greg had College Cup and Independence Bowl duties. Tyson Jex filled in for Durrant against Creighton (Dec. 11) after weather conditions prevented Durrant from making it to South Dakota.
Affiliates:
BYU Radio- Flagship Station Nationwide (Dish Network 980, Sirius XM 143, KBYU 89.1 FM HD 2, TuneIn radio, and byuradio.org) KSL 102.7 FM and 1160 AM- (Salt Lake City / Provo, Utah and ksl.com) KSNA 100.7 FM - Blackfoot / Idaho Falls / Pocatello / Rexburg, Idaho (games) KSPZ 105.1 FM and 980 AM- Blackfoot / Idaho Falls / Pocatello / Rexburg, Idaho (coaches' shows) KMXD 100.5 FM- Monroe / Manti, Utah KSVC 980 AM- Richfield / Manti, Utah KDXU 94.9 FM and 890 AM- St. George, Utah
Television In September 2019, the West Coast Conference (WCC) agreed to a multi-year deal through the 2026–27 season with ESPN and the CBS Sports Network to broadcast numerous basketball games each year. Previously, the WCC had an agreement with ESPN, but the new agreement adds additional television coverage of basketball games through the CBS Sports Network. Games broadcast on the CBS Sports Network are carried on channel 158 on the Dish Network, channel 221 on DirecTV and channel 269 on Xfinity. Under the terms of the deal, ESPN will broadcast 17 games during the regular season and the CBS Sports Network will broadcast a minimum of 9 games. ESPN will continue to broadcast the quarterfinals, semifinals and the championship game of the WCC tournament. BYU maintains the rights to broadcast home games on BYUtv (11.1 in Salt Lake City, Utah, channel 374 on the Dish Network, and channel 4369/9403 on DirecTV). Meanwhile, Stadium broadcasts will be simulcast on KJZZ or KMYU. The broadcasts became even more important after Sinclair sold KSTU, causing Stadium to leave the Digital 3 station.
Schedule and results
!colspan=12 style=| Exhibition
!colspan=12 style=| Non-conference regular season
!colspan=12 style=| WCC Regular Season
!colspan=12 style=| WCC Tournament
!colspan=12 style=| NIT
Game summaries Series Histories are adjusted for the second consecutive season. On the series history the 47 wins the NCAA had BYU forfeit during the 2015–16 and 2016–17 seasons aren't indicated. The forfeits are not added to the loss column. They are merely struck from the win column. All rankings are from the AP poll unless specifically indicated otherwise.
Blue/White Scrimmage
Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, & Spencer Linton Starting Lineups: BYU White: Hunter Erickson, Spencer Johnson, Seneca Knight, Caleb Lohner, Gavin Baxter BYU Blue: Trey Stewart, Te'Jon Lucas, Gideon George, Trevin Knell, Richard Harward
Exhibition: Colorado Christian
Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, & Spencer Linton Starting Lineups: Colorado Christian: DJ McDonald, Isaiah Alanzo, Andy Stafford, Nic Zeil, Ross Williams BYU: Te'Jon Lucas, Gideon George, Alex Barcello, Caleb Lohner, Richard Harward
Cleveland State
Series History: First Meeting Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, & Spencer Linton Starting Lineups: Cleveland State: Craig Beaudion, Tre Gomillion, Torrey Patton, Deante Johnson, D'Moi Hodge BYU: Te'Jon Lucas, Gideon George, Alex Barcello, Caleb Lohner, Gavin Baxter
San Diego State
Series History: BYU leads 49–26
Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, & Spencer Linton Starting Lineups: San Diego State: Keshad Johnson, Adam Seiko, Matt Bradley, Trey Pulliam, Nathan Mensah BYU: Te'Jon Lucas, Gideon George, Alex Barcello, Caleb Lohner, Gavin Baxter
Oregon
Series History: Oregon leads 14–9 Broadcasters: Roxy Bernstein & Sean Farnham Starting Lineups: BYU: Te'Jon Lucas, Gideon George, Alex Barcello, Caleb Lohner, Gavin Baxter Oregon: Quincy Guerrier, Eric Williams Jr, Devion Harmon, Will Richardson, Jacob Young
Central Methodist
Series History: First Meeting
Broadcasters: Dave McCann & Blaine Fowler Starting Lineups: Central Methodist: Tim Cameron, Isaiah May, Jonathan Brown, Fode Camara, Thomas Sowoolu BYU: Te'Jon Lucas, Gideon George, Alex Barcello, Caleb Lohner, Gavin Baxter
Texas Southern
Series History: BYU leads 3–0 Broadcasters: Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler & Spencer Linton Starting Lineups:
Texas Southern: Yahuza Rasas, PJ Henry, Bryson Etienne, Justin Hopkins, Brison Gresham BYU: Te'Jon Lucas, Gideon George, Alex Barcello, Caleb Lohner, Gavin Baxter
Utah
Series History: BYU leads 132–129