BYU men’s hoops comes confidently into Big 12 Tournament
-
- BYU men’s basketball coach Kevin Young (center) gives instructions during practice in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. The Cougars play Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.
-
- BYU players prepare for practice on Wednesday, March 12, 2025. in Kansas City, Mo. The Cougars play Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.
-
- BYU men’s basketball coach Kevin Young celebrates a 96-95 victory at No. 19 Arizona at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025.
-
- The BYU men’s basketball celebrates a win at Arizona State on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025.
There was plenty of preseason hype surrounding Kevin Young’s rookie season as head coach with the BYU men’s basketball program, but much of it was generated by Cougar fans.
In fact, BYU was picked to finished ninth out of 16 teams in the Big 12 preseason poll.
Those aren’t very high expectations.
To be honest, Young saw way more potential than that.
“I have a weird relationship with expectations,” Young admitted on Saturday after beating Utah in the Marriott Center. “I think they’re very limiting.”
The Cougars started slowly in Big 12 play but finished on an eight-game winning streak to tie with Arizona for third in league play with a 14-6 record.
“I never really put a benchmark on what I thought we could or couldn’t do,” Young said. “It became pretty obvious for me early that I felt like we could be a good basketball team. The more I saw other teams in the league and in the country, I felt like we have what it takes to be one of the best teams in the country. What that means when it comes out in the wash, I never really put anything on it. I really am super-tunnel vision focused on just trying to help our guys get better every day. That’s been the recipe for us.”
BYU (23-8) earned the No. 4 seed and a two-round bye at the Big 12 Tournament and will play in Thursday’s quarterfinals against No. 5 Iowa State.
The Cougars and Cyclones produced a classic just over a week ago in Ames, needing double overtime to find a winner. BYU ended up taking an 88-85 victory against a team that had won 33 of the past 34 games at Hilton Coliseum.
The Cougars watched Iowa State’s 75-56 win against No. 13 Cincinnati in the second round on Wednesday in Kansas City, having less than 24 hours to create and implement a game plan for Thursday’s quarterfinal.
“I always preface cliches by saying, ‘I know this is cliche,’ but it really has been our mantra to take things game by game and day by day,” Young said. “So that’s the approach for me and it’s not going to change. We’ll see who our opponent is in Game 1 and we’ll prepare for that game just like we did every other game throughout this year. I think that’s what I learned with this group. They have done well with keeping a singular focus and not try to look past anything.”
BYU has put itself in a good position for the NCAA Tournament, with Bracketology experts slotting the Cougars anywhere from a No. 5 seed to a No. 8 seed. A couple of wins in the Big 12 Tournament can move that seed lower but a loss won’t drop them very far, according to experts.
Young was encouraged by how well his team has been practicing lately.
“Mentally they’re in a space where they’re ready to take the world on,” he said.
Scouting Report
In its second round game on Wednesday, Iowa State led Cincinnati by nine points at halftime and pulled away in the second half, despite the Bearcats pulling to within three points, 43-40, on a Dillon Mitchell dunk with 14:32 to play.
Joshua Jefferson led the Cyclones with 19 points, Tamin Lipsey had 15 and Dishon Jackson contributed 10 points and 15 rebounds. The Cyclones shot 54% from the field (29 of 54) and 48% (10 of 21) from the 3-point line.
BYU managed to win the double overtime game in Ames despite a whopping 29 turnovers, many coming after the Cougars earned a 21-point lead early in the second half. BYU doubled up Iowa State in rebounding and got a key defensive stop in the second overtime to take the win.
In the postseason, depth can be a big key for success. Young has worked into an 11-man rotation with his group, though freshman Kanon Catchings has missed the past two games due to a knee injury.
“I think it just think it speaks to the character of the guys we have in our locker room and in our program,” Young said. “I think it also speaks to the relationships our assistant coaches have with our players, keeping the guys in the boat, rowing in the same direction, always being there to work with them and keep them focused on what they can do to continue to get better. And then our guys, they want to win. And I think when you’re able to win like we have, it’s hard to not be invested, because at the end of the day, I think every guy that is a high level competitor wants to win.”
Last season — BYU’s first in the Big 12 — the Cougars defeated UCF 87-73 in the second round of the tournament but got drilled by Texas Tech 81-67 in the quarterfinals.
While BYU advanced to the West Coast Conference tournament final four times in 12 seasons, the Cougars haven’t won any league tournament title since 2001 (Mountain West).
Men’s College Basketball
Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 4 BYU (23-8) vs. No. 5 Iowa State (24-8)
Thursday, 10:30 a.m. MT
T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
TV/Streaming: ESPN2
Radio: KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM, BYU Radio
Live stats: byucougars.com
The Word: Iowa State leads the overall series 7-2. … Both of BYU’s win have come since joining the Big 12, including an 88-85 double overtime victory at Ames just over a week ago. … The Cougars’ eight-game winning streak is the 10th longest in the country. … Center Keba Keita is shooting 67.6% from the field, which is on pace to break the single-season program record. … Egor Demin has 156 assists, three away from passing Danny Ainge for the most by a freshman at BYU.
