For the past couple of years (and too often during the Mountain West Conference and West Coast Conference eras) the BYU men’s basketball team would reach this part of the season with only one way to the NCAA’s Big Dance: Win the conference tournament’s automatic bid.

Seeing that the Cougars haven’t won a conference tournament title since 2001, that’s been a problem.

This year, with three games remaining in Big 12 play, BYU is very clearly in the NCAA Tournament field according to to pretty much every prediction algorithm out there. Tuesday’s upset at No. 7 Kansas was the Cougars’ fourth regular-season win against a Top 25 opponent, the first time that’s happened in program history.

BYU is playing for seeding, projected to be as high as a No. 3.

It’s good to be a Cougar right now.

“I don’t think it (the win vs. Kansas) changes the way we approach things but it is pretty cool to know your hard work pays off,” BYU senior Spencer Johnson said. “The last two years we’ve missed out on it (NCAA Tournament). We were right there. We put ourselves in good position but we still had to win our conference. So to be able to compete like this in the Big 12, in our first year and to know we had a really successful year, that we have a couple of games left but we’re going to go dancing later, it’s cool.”

Johnson said he and his teammates know there is still a lot of work to be done.

“We’re still hungry,” he said. “I think it (beating Kansas) affects motivation in a good way. There have only been a couple of dudes on our team that have actually gone to the tournament, so the fact that we get to go there and it’s historic and legendary, we’re motivated to actually make something happen there.

“Talking to the guys yesterday and on the plane ride (home from Kansas), it was a really cool win but bigger wins are to be had in the NCAA tournament. We can go and make some noise. We can go and do some damage. Kansas was a really cool win, but we’re really excited for wins that are to come.”

Head coach Mark Pope was hesitant to put too much emphasis on what the win over the Jayhawks means or to look too far down the road, regardless of what experts are saying about BYU’s NCAA Tournament outlook.

“Right now we’re thinking about TCU,” Pope said. “This is not actually just coach-speak. It’s not a cliche. I think we just don’t want to miss the moment, right? This is too good. Come what may, whether it’s great or whether it’s terrible, we do not want to miss the moment. I think that’s how our team feels. We wish this could be longer because even if we win every game the rest of the season it’s six weeks or something, give or take, then it’s over.

“We don’t spend a lot of time categorizing or worrying about ranking. This is all just too good to miss and hopefully we’ll continue to play that way on the court. Everything doesn’t always turn out great but the drama is so fun and I think we’re really living there.”

SCOUTING REPORT

There should be no overlooking TCU.

The Horned Frogs are nothing like the struggling program BYU used to beat up regularly in the Mountain West Conference in the 2000s and 2010s. TCU made the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, advancing to the second round both times.

The Horned Frogs are potent offensively, second to only the Cougars in scoring in Big 12 play at 75.5 points per game, though they are coming off a league-low 54 points in an eight-point loss against No. 15 Baylor.

Emanuel Miller, a 6-foot-7 guard, averages 15.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 49% from the field and 41% from the 3-point line. Another guard, 6-8 Micah Peavy, averages 11.2 points per game while shooting 48% from the field and Jameer Nelson Jr. also averages in double figures (10.9).

TCU, which boasts eight seniors on its roster, has seven league losses and five of them were against teams ranked in the Top 25 at the time.

Pope was asked on Thursday if his team would have any trouble coming down from the big win at Kansas and focusing on the next game.

“This TCU team is so good,” Pope said. “It’s not surprising, it’s humbling. What is there not to turn the page on? We’ve got an unbelievable TCU team coming here in a crucial moment and then we’re going to Iowa State, which is ranked No. 8. So it’s never ending.”

BYU is 14-2 in the Marriott Center this year and have won four straight home games in Big 12 play.

Men’s College Basketball

TCU (19-9, 8-7 Big 12) at BYU (20-8, 8-7 Big 12)

Saturday, 7 p.m. MT

Marriott Center, Provo

TV: None

Streaming: Big 12 Now on ESPN+

Radio: Sirius XM 143/BYU Radio.org/BYU Radio app/KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: BYU is 19-3 in the all-time series against TCU. … The last time the two teams met was 2011, the Cougars final year in the Mountain West Conference. BYU beat TCU three times that season, including a 64-58 victory in the MWC Tournament quarterfinals. … The Cougars and Horned Frogs are tied for fifth in the Big 12 standings. … BYU has announced that Saturday’s game is a sellout.

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