How BYU’s “No Sunday” policy impacts NCAA Tournament seeding while also blessing lives

The BYU men’s basketball team is peaking at the right time. After a 34-point beatdown of No. 23 Kansas followed by a massive road win at No. 19 Arizona, coach Kevin Young’s squad should have solidified its spot in the NCAA Tournament. The only question now is what seed the Cougars will draw.

And BYU’s “No Sunday” policy could play a role in how the team is seeded.

The NCAA Tournament impact of not playing on Sundays

The Big Dance is organized into four regions. Two of those regions – the South and the Midwest – have games from Friday through Sunday, so by default BYU won’t be placed in one of those brackets. This means BYU will be slated to play in either the East or the West, with most BYU fans probably hoping to play in Denver, which is the closest location to Provo.

But with BYU already eliminated from half of the tournament bracket due to potential conflicts with Sunday play, the negative impact on the Cougars can be sliding down in their seeding in order to “fit” in one of the two available regions.

This “Sunday slide” happened to the Cougars last year.

According to KSL Sports, BYU would have been the highest-rated 5-seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, but instead got knocked down to a 6-seed. With simple math, 6-seeds should be the No. 21-24 ranked teams in the field. BYU was the 17th overall team in the seed lines, meaning they would have been the top No. 5 seed, but instead fell to a No. 6 seed to avoid Sunday play.

Now, moving from a No. 5 seed to a No. 6 seed shouldn’t profoundly impact the Cougars ability to win in the Big Dance. They ended up with a very winnable game against Duquesne in the opening round last year and we all know how that ended up. Seeding wasn’t the issue last year. It was BYU’s notoriously underwhelming tournament play.

While BYU’s seeding in the NCAA Tournament is still up in the air for this year, the inability to play on Sundays could result in another slide in the seeding.

The blessings of not playing on Sundays

Given the fact that BYU is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, moving back a seed or two in the NCAA Tournament is a small price to pay for allowing the team’s students, coaches, and staff to worship on the Sabbath Day. Part of the BYU Honor Code includes “participate regularly in Church services”, and for a majority of people associated with BYU Sports, that means Sunday worship.

New head coach Kevin Young was one of the top NBA assistant coaches for years and was likely going to be hired as head coach sooner than later when he quite unexpectedly took the BYU job. One of the factors that played into his decision was the ability to have Sundays off.

In an interview with the Deseret News, Kevin Young’s wife, Melissa, said this about her husband’s NBA work schedule: “He hasn’t had Sundays off during the season ever in 13 years.” The Youngs credited the ability to attend church together as one of many factors leading to Coach Young taking his new job. Avoiding Sunday games gives the Youngs, BYU players, and staff the opportunity to dedicate Sundays to worship, regardless of the individual’s religious beliefs or specific denomination.

Many athletes and their parents note BYU’s “unique”, faith-centered orientation as one of the main reasons they come to Provo.

While the “No Sunday” policy might hurt BYU’s seeding in the NCAA Tournament at times, it’s a sacrifice worth making for a faith-centered institution and a stance that blesses the lives of the members of the BYU sports community.