BYU picked No. 2 in WCC preseason poll, Barcello and Lohner named to All-WCC team

PROVO, Utah – The 2021-22 BYU men’s basketball team was picked to finish second in the West Coast Conference preseason poll, released Thursday.

The Cougars received 72 points and one first-place vote, behind only Gonzaga who received 81 points and nine first-place votes. Voting takes place from the league’s head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own team.

BYU (20-7, 10-3 WCC) returns eight players — five who got starting minutes at different points — from last season’s squad that went to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. The Cougars also have nine newcomers vying for playing time. BYU will look to return to the NCAA Tournament behind a new mix of veterans and transfers guided by head coach Mark Pope, who begins his third season at the helm.

In addition to the preseason poll for order of finish, BYU landed two players on the All-WCC preseason team: Alex Barcello and Caleb Lohner.

After initially exploring NBA Draft options over the offseason, Alex Barcello decided to return for one more year with the Cougars in 2021-22. The outright emotional and statistical leader on last season’s squad, Barcello led BYU in points (16.1), assists (4.3), steals (0.9), three-point percentage (47.7%) and free-throw percentage (85.6%). He was No. 10 nationally in three-point percentage. He was named to the All-WCC first team and and was an AP All-America Honorable Mention.

Lohner was named to the All-WCC freshman team last season. He worked his way into a starting position, starting 13 games total. Even when he was coming off the bench, Lohner led the team in rebounding all season, at 7.1 boards per game. He poured it on offensively late in the season, scoring a career-high 19 points against Pacific on Feb. 18. He followed that up with 18 points two nights later. Lohner averaged 7.0 points per game. He was named WCC Freshman of the Week twice.

BYU will open the season with an exhibition contest against Colorado Christian on Nov. 4 in Provo. The regular season officially begins Tuesday, Nov. 9 against Cleveland State at the Marriott Center.

View more details on the WCC Preseason poll and All-WCC preseason team.