The Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars basketball team competes in the Mountain West Conference in NCAA Division I. The Cougars have been a relatively successful program, winning a total of 26 conference championships as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, Skyline Conference, Western Athletic Conference, and the Mountain West Conference. They have made 22 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, with the most recent coming in 2008. The Cougars are tied with the University of Missouri for the distinction of having the most NCAA Tournament appearances without having ever played in the Final Four. In addition, the Cougars have won the National Invitation Tournament twice.
BYU's basketball team is notable for its refusal to play games on Sundays, in accordance with LDS Church policy. This is almost never an issue for the football team, as college football teams almost never play on Sundays in order not to compete with the NFL; however, BYU's basketball team requires special consideration in the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday so that the team will not have to play a game on a Sunday. This became an issue in 2003 when the Selection Committee slotted the Cougars such that they would play a Sunday game were they to reach the Elite Eight. BYU is also notable because its players are often older than most college players due to their service on LDS missions, which do not count against the maximum four years of college eligibility granted by the NCAA.
BYU fielded its first basketball team in 1903. In 1906, the Cougars played their first game against Utah State University; in 1909, the team first played against the University of Utah. These two rivalries continue to this day. In its 104-year history, BYU's basketball program has won 1,501 games, ranking 22nd among all Division I programs. 83 of the school's 104 basketball teams have had winning records. The Cougars won the first of their 26 conference championships in 1919 as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
The Cougars would make the first of their 21 NCAA Tournament appearances in 1950 under legendary head coach Stan Watts. That BYU team also was the first to win 20 games in a season. BYU's 1951 team was even more successful, winning 28 games and once again qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. In addition, the 1951 team won the first of two NIT championships for the school. The Cougars would go on to make five more appearances in the NCAA Tournament under Watts, and won their second NIT championship in 1966.
WEBSITE: http://www.byucougars.com/ 
