‘We were all-in’: What fueled BYU as it exceeded expectations in Lee Cummard’s first season

BYU players stand together for the national anthem prior to the Cougars' game against the Columbia Lions in the championship game of the Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament at Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. | Jaren Wilkey/BYU PHOTO When the BYU women’s basketball team learned March 15 that it came up just short of making the NCAA Tournament, the Cougars could have easily looked forward to next season and beyond. Instead, they embraced the challenge of competing as a No.

1 seed in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament and went on the program’s longest postseason run, building momentum and optimism for the future. Four-straight wins earned the Cougars a spot in the WBIT championship game, where BYU ultimately fell to a more seasoned Columbia squad , 81-64, on Wednesday night in Wichita, Kansas. One more victory, and BYU would have needed to make room in the trophy case for a tangible piece of evidence of a national postseason title.

That postseason run, though, along with the Cougars’ Big 12 tournament showing, highlighted what first-year coach Lee Cummard has cooking in Provo and left Cougar Nation with the impression even brighter days are ahead, thanks to a group that found its chemistry and was peaking in March. It capped off a memorable season where BYU records were set along the way to a 26-12 record, one full of learning and unforgettable moments, as the Cougars exceeded the expectations they faced heading into the season. “We love our group.

We were all-in. Really pleased with the growth of them as people. Really pleased with how we hit some adversity and the group just got closer,” Cummard said Wednesday night after BYU fell in the WBIT championship game.