Let the fans, sports writers and talking heads debate about whether or not the BYU men’s basketball team was under-seeded by the NCAA Tournament committee yet again.

The Cougars are solely focused on playing the game.

“The only thing that matters to us is we’re in this thing and we get a chance to go play,” BYU coach Mark Pope said. “We’re playing a great team and we’re going to try and go play great.”

Despite being the No. 17 overall seed the Cougars are slotted as a No. 6 seed in Omaha and face No. 11 seed and Atlantic 10 Tournament champion Duquesne on Thursday.

BYU fans can point to San Diego State’s No. 5 seed (the Cougars beat the Aztecs back in November) and the No. 5 seed for Gonzaga, which didn’t win the regular-season or post-season West Coast Conference crowns and gets to play in Salt Lake City on Thursday. Or the No. 4 seed given to Kansas even though the Cougars beat the Jayhawks in Lawrence in their only meeting.

Pope said playing the guessing game about seeding can make someone “chase your tail forever.”

“I am really proud that the NCAA selection committee put out there,” he said. “There’s one through 68 on the list and we were 17. So we were the No. 1 5 (seed) and so I’m super proud of that. That’s a really incredible accomplished for our guys and how the seeding worked how it did after that. Every single team you play in this NCAA Tournament is going to be great so we’re just excited to have a chance to go play.”

The Duquesne Dukes are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1977 and have won eight games in a row, including four at the Atlantic 10 Tournament this week. The Dukes upset No. 24 Dayton 65-57 in the quarterfinals and VCU 57-51 in the finals.

BYU senior Jaxson Robinson was a member of an Arkansas team that made the Elite 8 in 2022 but didn’t get a chance to play in that game, so Thursday will be his first action in an NCAA Tournament game.

“We had a little watch party in the Annex just with all the people that have helped the team thus far this season,” he said. “It was a really special moment not only for me but my teammates and my coaches to be able to share that moment with everybody.”

The Cougars finished the season with a 23-10 overall record and 10-8 in Big 12 play, falling to Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the league tournament last Thursday.

It’s the 31st time BYU has made the NCAA Tournament field and the second time under Pope, who is in his fifth season in Provo.

“I think the guys in general understand the opportunity that we have in front of us,” Pope said. “Our guys are intimately familiar with how hard it is to get there and how much work went into getting here and how many epic moments they’ve had this season to earn themselves this opportunity to play in this tournament. We’re excited to go try and take advantage of this.”

BYU hasn’t advanced in the tournament since the 2012 season, when the Cougars staged the biggest comeback in tourney history in a First Four victory against Iona. Making it to the second round would be a huge accomplishment but the players are hoping for an even longer run.

“Everyone’s goal is to win a championship so hopefully we can go out and accomplish that,” Robinson said. “That’s what everybody’s mind is set. We’re just going to walk in and try to prove to the whole world and shock the whole world.”

Eight teams from the Big 12 earned spots in the NCAA Tournament: Houston (No. 1 seed), Iowa State (No. 2), Baylor (No. 3), Kansas (No. 4), BYU (No. 6), Texas Tech (No. 6), Texas (No. 7) and TCU (No. 9).

Men’s College Basketball

NCAA Tournament First Round

No. 6 BYU (23-10) vs. No. 11 Duquesne (24-11)

Thursday, 10:40 a.m. MT

CHI Health Center Omaha

TV: TruTV

Streaming: CBS.com

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

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: BYU opens as an 8.5-point favorite against Duquesne. … The Dukes are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1977. … The Cougars last made the NCAA Tournament in 2021, losing to UCLA in the first round. … BYU’s last win in the NCAA Tournament came in 2012, a 78-72 victory where the Cougars came back from a 25-point deficit.

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