BYU will be in trouble in Brandon Davies can't return to school

Late last week, news broke that Brandon Davies had finished up his winter course work and had withdrawn from BYU. The plan, it appears, is for Davies to work with the dean of students in an effort to become eligible to return for next season.

If you remember, Davies was dismissed from the basketball team in the middle of BYU's run to a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament due to a breach of the school's honor code, which most believe was the result of premarital sex with his girlfriend.

Cougar fans better hope that Davies is allowed to return to school.

Because without their junior center in the lineup, it could be a long season in Provo.


Both Jimmer Fredette and Jackson Emery have graduated. Promising freshman Kyle Collinsworth will be spending the next two years in Russia on his Mormon mission. Logan Magnusson and James Anderson also won't be back next season. Losing Davies could be devastating. You see, the 6'9" power forward really began to show the depth of his talents this season. He became a legitimate scoring threat on the block as well as an improving rebounder and shot blocker. As the leading returning scorer on the roster, Davies has a chance to break out as the focal point of Dave Rose's offensive attack.

Without Davies, however, BYU could be in some trouble in their new conference.

In 2011-2012, BYU will be a member of the now-nine-team WCC. And while that league was dominated by Gonzaga in years past, it is one of the most-improved leagues over the past few years, the CAA's west coast counterpart. St. Mary's is consistently in the conversation for an at-large bid, Santa Clara is a dangerous team, and San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, and Portland have all had quite a bit of talent pass through their program in recent seasons.

Both Noah Hartsock and Charles Abouo return for their senior seasons, and former-UCLA recruit Matt Carlino should be eligible to play in December, but without Davies, BYU may have trouble competing at the top of the WCC.