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BYU believes it can topple No. 6 Gonzaga in Tuesday’s WCC championship game in Las Vegas

Las Vegas • BYU has done nothing in its recent conference tournament basketball history to suggest that it can upset No. 6 Gonzaga in Tuesday night’s West Coast Conference championship game.

The third-seeded Cougars, who improved to 24-9 with Monday night’s stirring 85-72 upset of Saint Mary’s, haven’t won a conference tournament title since 2001 — four years before Dave Rose replaced Steve Cleveland as coach.

But a theme quickly emerged late Monday night after the Cougars advanced to their first championship game since 2015, when they lost 91-75 to Kyle Wiltjer-led GU.