BYU Aims to Move Forward After Heartbreaking Loss at Big 12 Tournament
BYU Women’s Basketball, Amber Whiting, Big 12 Tournament…
PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s basketball heads into the Big 12 Tournament following a crushing defeat to rival Utah last Saturday.
Maty Wilke of Utah sank a half-court shot as time expired in overtime, giving the Utes a 76-73 victory over BYU.
The loss marked the end of BYU’s regular season with a 13-16 record and extended their losing streak to four games.
“I spoke with them after the game and told them to let it sting but don’t carry it into Monday,” said BYU head coach Amber Whiting. “Then our AD came in, gave specific instructions, and said, ‘Don’t leave this locker room until you’ve let go of this game.’ I appreciated that, especially since it was such an emotional ending, and against a rival, it’s a tough way to close out.”
Despite the tough stretch since a significant win over nationally-ranked Oklahoma State on February 15, Whiting’s team is focusing on the postseason.
The Big 12 Tournament presents an opportunity for BYU to finish the season strong with a possible tournament run.
“We’ve got some players banged up from the Utah game, so we’re trying to maximize our practice,” Whiting said. “But I feel like the team is focused and ready to go.”
BYU enters the Big 12 Tournament as the 12th seed out of 16 teams. The Cougars will need to win five consecutive games to secure the automatic Big 12 bid to the NCAA Tournament.
BYU Women’s Basketball Faces UCF to Start the Big 12 Tournament
However, the immediate concern is their first game on Wednesday morning against No. 13-seed UCF at 10 a.m. (MST)/11 a.m. (CST) on ESPN+.
BYU won the only regular-season meeting with UCF, 73-66, on February 5 in Provo.
“We need to limit their offensive rebounds, as they’re really good at that,” Whiting said about the upcoming matchup with UCF. “Taking care of the ball is crucial, and we can’t give them easy scoring chances. … Starting strong will be important for us. We’ve had games where we didn’t start as well, so being aggressive right away will put us in a good position.”
Delaney Gibb Leads the Charge for BYU
BYU will rely heavily on star freshman Delaney Gibb if they want to make a deep run in Kansas City.
Gibb became just the second freshman in Big 12 history to earn 10 Freshman of the Week awards during the regular season. She scored a career-high 36 points in the loss to Utah on Saturday.
The 5-foot-10 freshman is averaging 17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 46% from the field this season.
If BYU defeats UCF, they will face No. 5-seed Kansas State on Thursday.
No. 12 BYU vs. No. 13 UCF
First Round, 2025 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship
Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
Tip-Off: 10 a.m. (MST)/11 a.m. (CST)
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Venue: T-Mobile Center
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of
BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.