BYU Basketball Has Reached Lock Status For Upcoming NCAA Tournament
Mar 3, 2021, 2:41 PM
The Brigham Young Cougars huddle during a WCC basketball game against the Saint Mary’s Gaels in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (Annie Barker, Deseret News)
(Annie Barker, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball is working on getting better every day in preparation for the upcoming WCC Tournament (Monday, 10 p.m.). Regardless of what happens in Vegas for the conference tournament, BYU is a lock to play in the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis.
TeamRankings.com, which forecasts records and bracketology, has BYU as one of 20 teams with 100% odds of receiving a bid in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
Alex Barcello on senior night: “Business is not done.”#BYU #BYUHoops @kslsports pic.twitter.com/Is2CFx25l5
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 28, 2021
What’s helped BYU enter championship week as a lock for the NCAA Tournament is their resume. BYU is 8-5 against teams in the Quad 1 and Quad 2 tier of the NCAA’s NET rankings. No “bad losses” to teams in the Quad 3 and Quad 4 section. A calling card for BYU teams under Mark Pope.
In Pope’s first two seasons as head coach, the Cougars have yet to lose a game to a team in the quad 3 and 4 metrics.
BYU’s non-conference schedule has also served them well. Since the WCC moved to a 16-game conference schedule three years ago, league members have more flexibility with non-conference scheduling. In a year of uneven schedules due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, BYU played 11 games in the non-conference.
Of those 11, six teams are currently in the top 100, with a seventh nearly there in Weber State (101).
BYU is playing some of their best basketball as of late. Mark Pope coached BYU teams are 13-1 in February. That means the Cougars close strong, leading into championship basketball. This year was no different as BYU enters March with a four-game winning streak and winners of six of their last seven contests.
Advanced metrics such as the NET, KenPom, and KPI, like BYU a lot right now. In large because of how balanced the Cougars are. BYU is in the top 26 in adjusted efficiency for both offense and defense, one of only seven teams in the country that can boast that type of balance. NET rankings have BYU currently at No. 19, KenPom at No. 23, and KPI at No. 7.
Only potential roadblock for BYU Basketball in March
The only roadblock between BYU and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2015 is COVID-19. Mark Pope has taken heightened precautions with his team starting this past Monday because any potential outbreak could prevent his team from playing in the Big Dance.
The NCAA requires all Tier 1 personnel (players, coaches, medical staff) to have seven consecutive days of negative COVID-19 tests before arriving in Indianapolis. Taking all precautions possibly will be on BYU’s mind to ensure they are healthy for college basketball’s event.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 2, 2021
Where will BYU be seeded come Selection Sunday on March 14? Right now, the average is around a seven-seed. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has BYU as a seven, playing 10-seed North Carolina. BYU taking on a blueblood in the first round of the NCAA Tournament? This is March. Anything is possible.
For a BYU program that has done everything in their power to get back to the Big Dance, they probably don’t care who the opponent is. They want their name called on Selection Sunday, and by all accounts, they will definitely hear it called for the first time in six years.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.
