BYU Bracketology: What Seed Will the Cougars Get in the NCAA Tournament?
Selection Sunday is this weekend, and with only the Big 12 Tournament left to play, the NCAA Tournament seedings are starting to take shape. So, where will BYU land?
It’s March, and we all know what that means: the madness is about to begin. Thanks to an eight-game winning streak and winning 12 of their last 14 games, BYU has placed themselves in a solid position for the bracket.
The bracket will be revealed this Sunday, March 16, at 3 pm PT.
BYU is currently in fourth place in the Big 12 and ranked 26th in NET, which secures their place in the tournament. The big question now is, what seed will they receive, and who will they play?
Joe Lunardi, ESPN: 5 seed vs. #12 Liberty (Providence, RI)
This marks a significant jump for BYU. For several weeks, the Cougars were hovering around a seven or eight seed. However, one of the biggest names in Bracketology believes BYU deserves a five seed. This would be BYU’s highest seed since they received a three seed during Jimmer Fredette’s senior year in 2011. A matchup against Liberty (#66 in NET) presents a great opportunity for BYU to reach the Round of 32 for the first time in 14 years.
USA TODAY: 5 seed vs. #12 McNeese State (Denver, CO)
Similar to Lunardi, USA TODAY is one of the outlets with the highest projections for BYU. They also have BYU playing much closer to home in Colorado, where the crowd would be very supportive. McNeese State, ranked 61st in NET, is a beatable opponent for BYU in the first round.
TeamRankings.com: 6 seed vs. #11 Utah State
This matchup could be exciting: an in-state rivalry game against Utah State, a team BYU hasn’t played in over three years. Although Utah State has stumbled in the final stretch of the season, they remain firmly in the field, ranked 37th in NET. USU won a Round of 64 game last year as an eight-seed, defeating TCU from the Big 12. They won’t be intimidated by BYU. This could turn into one of the most intense first-round matchups in the bracket.
Jerry Palm, CBS: 7 seed vs. #10 Arkansas (Lexington, KY)
Palm is not as high on BYU as Lunardi is, projecting them as a seven seed. However, a seven seed seems to be the near-consensus for BYU’s tournament outlook. A good performance in Kansas City could elevate them to a five seed. If they remain a seven, they would face Arkansas (#39 in NET) from the tough SEC, the best conference in college basketball this season. Arkansas reached the Elite 8 in both 2021 and 2022, so they’re no strangers to March Madness.
Sporting News: 7 seed vs. #10 Vanderbilt
This would be a challenging draw for BYU. Vanderbilt is in the SEC, the top basketball conference this year, and is battle-tested with 13 Quad 1 games (5-8). They’ve beaten Tennessee and Kentucky. The Cougars would need to bring their best game to avoid the potential 7/10 upset that so many teams have fallen victim to.
Bracket Matrix: 6.73 seed
The Bracket Matrix doesn’t provide individual matchup predictions, instead averaging several dozen bracket projections. At the moment, BYU is trending towards a seven seed. With a favorable selection by the committee, they could even land a six seed. However, BYU is expected to be placed as a single-digit seed and likely won’t fall into the dangerous 8/9 seed range.
