The No. 9 seed BYU Cougars, riding a three-game winning streak, face the No. 16 Houston Cougars in the first round of the Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament. Coach Lee Cummard highlighted the team's strong record against other NCAA bubble teams as they seek to bolster their tournament resume. The game tips off Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. MT in Kansas City.
BYU women's basketball enters the Big 12 Tournament with a 20-10 overall record, marking the program's first 20-win season since 2022. The Cougars hold a NET ranking of No. 57, placing ninth among Big 12 teams, and sit on the NCAA Tournament bubble. To improve their chances, they must perform well in the tournament, where they are 0-2 since joining the conference, with losses to Kansas (77-53) in 2024 and UCF (81-69) in 2025.
The team arrives on a hot streak, defeating Utah 86-74, Arizona State 66-61, and Colorado 75-62—teams ranked No. 54, 52, and 46 in NET, respectively. Sophomore Delaney Gibb has been pivotal, scoring a career-high 37 points against Utah and averaging 26.8 points over the last four games, shooting 85% from the free-throw line (37 of 44). She leads BYU with 17.9 points per game overall. Freshman Olivia Hamlin contributes 12.6 points off the bench.
Coach Lee Cummard emphasized the team's edge on the bubble: “The pitch I would give the committee is that of the teams that we’ve played that are ahead of us on the bubble, at least according to Charlie Cream, we have a 7-1 record against those teams.” He noted losses only to Colorado in that group and praised Gibb's recent form as a compelling storyline for a young team. Cummard also credited defensive improvements: “Our defense has kind of fueled our offense and has led to some good opportunities.”
BYU faces a struggling Houston squad (7-22 overall, 1-17 Big 12), which has lost eight straight after a 72-70 win over Cincinnati on Feb. 2. The Cougars rank last in the conference in scoring (61.0 points per game), defense (73.1 allowed), field goal percentage (.370), and defensive field goal percentage (.446). No Houston player averages double figures, with Kyndall Hunter at 9.5 and TK Pitts at 9.3.
In their only meeting this season on Jan. 10, BYU won 79-62 at Fertitta Center, led by Gibb's 19 points. The all-time series is tied 3-3. A victory sends BYU to face No. 8 Utah on Thursday, a team they have beaten twice this season. Cummard described his team's mindset: “The group is in a good place right now... I like where we’re at, and we’re really excited to have the chance to win a game.”
The game airs on ESPN+ with live stats at bucougars.com.
