After a rocky stretch that saw BYU drop four straight-including a head-scratching loss to unranked Oklahoma State-the Cougars finally snapped out of their midseason slump with a much-needed road win over Baylor. It was the kind of bounce-back effort that can stabilize a season, but in the eyes of NCAA Tournament projections, the damage from that skid is still being felt.
At 18-6, BYU’s early-season momentum has cooled. Once flirting with a No. 2 seed, the Cougars are now hovering in the 5-to-6 seed range across most major bracket forecasts. That’s still a solid position, but given the way this team started-and the talent on Kevin Young’s roster-it feels like a step back.
Let’s take a look at where BYU currently stands in the eyes of the bracketologists:
- On3 has BYU as a No. 5 seed, matched up against **No. 12 Stephen F.
Austin**.
- Bracketologists also slot them as a No. 5, facing **No.
12 Belmont**.
- CBS Sports projects a No. 6 seed, with a potential first-round matchup against the winner of USC/Saint Mary’s.
- Bracket Matrix joins CBS in placing BYU on the No. 6 line, going up against No. 11 Texas.
That 5/12 matchup territory is always dangerous-just ask any team that’s been on the wrong end of a Cinderella story-but the bigger picture here is how far BYU has slid from its early-season ceiling. A drop from a potential two-seed to a six may not seem catastrophic, but it changes the path dramatically come March.
Still, there’s time-and opportunity-for BYU to climb. The Cougars have five remaining Quad 1 games, according to the NET rankings.
That’s where résumés are built and seeds are reshaped. Strong showings in those matchups could help BYU claw its way back up toward the top-four seed conversation.
But it’s not just about beating the big names. Avoiding landmines is just as crucial.
Saturday’s road trip to Colorado and a February 24 home game against UCF are must-wins for a team trying to stay out of the dreaded 6/11 matchup zone. A slip in either of those could undo a lot of the good work still to come.
This is a pivotal stretch for Kevin Young’s squad. The Cougars have the talent, the depth, and the coaching to make a deep run.
But they’ll need to tighten things up down the stretch if they want their seeding to reflect that potential. The good news?
The opportunities are right in front of them. Now it’s just a matter of taking advantage.