‘This group’s not ready to be done playing’: What BYU’s WBIT run means to the program and players

BYU players celebrate during the Cougars' matchup with the Missouri Tigers in the second round of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, on Monday, March 23, 2026. | Ellie Alder/BYU A lot of things went right for the BYU Cougars in their Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament second-round matchup against the Missouri Tigers on Monday. The Cougars stormed out to a 28-7 lead through one quarter and scored their second-highest point total of the season in a 93-75 win at the Marriott Center , all while setting a season high with 14 made 3-pointers.

It was a strong enough performance for All-Big 12 first team guard Delaney Gibb to say, “I thought that it was one of the best, maybe the best start we’ve had all year” after BYU broke the game open with a 25-2 run to end the first quarter. While the Cougars came up short of making the NCAA Tournament in their first season with Lee Cummard as head coach, BYU earned a No. 1 seed in the WBIT as one of the first four teams on the wrong side of the bubble for the NCAAs.

Now, the Cougars are the only No. 1 seed left with eight teams remaining in the postseason tournament, which is in its third year of existence and was created to provide the same opportunities as the NIT serves on the men’s side — as a place for the best teams that didn’t qualify for the NCAAs to compete in a national postseason event. Cummard and his players have embraced the opportunity to keep their season going.

“It’s really huge. I mean, to be right on the doorstep thinking you go into the NCAA Tournament and then not to get in, it’s something that psychologically — I don’t know how to explain — it’s just, it was challenging. But now that we’ve got our feet under us, the vibe right now with the group is tremendous and you’re seeing confidence just come out,” Cummard said after the win over Missouri.