BYU Basketball Surges Up Early Bracketology Projection
Nov 19, 2021, 6:49 PM | Updated: 6:50 pm
BYU Basketball guard Alex Barcello and Te'Jon Lucas are two of the leaders for the Cougars in 2021-22. (Nate Edwards/BYU Photo)
(Nate Edwards/BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah – Before the start of the 2021-22 BYU basketball season, members of this year’s Cougar squad didn’t hide the high aspirations for their team. Some like preseason All-WCC pick Caleb Lohner mentioned the Final Four as a goal.
Getting to a Final Four is a tall order, especially at a place like BYU that holds the distinction of being the program with the most NCAA Tournament appearances without a trip to college basketball’s final stage. But the odds of getting to a Final Four are a lot greater when you have a low seed in the field of 68.
BYU Basketball has jumped out to an impressive 3-0 start highlighted by a 32-point dismantling of No. 12 Oregon in Portland.
After that win, BYU is climbing in Bracketology projections, most notably from ESPN’s “Joey Brackets,” Joe Lunardi.
BYU Basketball up to a 7-seed in Bracketology
Lunardi released his first Bracketology projection on November 7, and Mark Pope’s squad made a big jump. The Cougars moved from the “First Four” up to a 7-seed in the South Region. Lunardi has BYU squaring off against the 10-seed Iowa Hawkeyes.
NCAA Bracketology – Projecting the 2022 March Madness men's field. 🏀🏀 https://t.co/NKCYctvU9F
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) November 19, 2021
BYU is in the same quadrant with future Big 12 rival Houston, projected as a two-seed through the first week and a half of the season.
The Cougars are benefitting from scheduling up in non-conference. Out of the gates, BYU took on three teams that were in last year’s NCAA Tournament, and all of those teams still have the potential to play in the field of 68 this year. San Diego State checks in on Lunardi’s “Last Four In,” and Oregon received an 8-seed.
Could the WCC get four teams in the Big Dance?
Joey Brackets has three teams from the WCC in the field of 68, with a fourth knocking on the door. Gonzaga is the No. 1 overall seed in the field, then BYU with No. 7 seed, and Saint Mary’s sneaking in as the last team in the field as of November 19th.
Wokeuplikethis 🥶#USFDons | #WCChoops pic.twitter.com/gsAHeK1ny2
— USF Men's Basketball (@USFDonsMBB) November 19, 2021
Then in the “Next Four Our” section, Lunardi has undefeated San Francisco on the doorstep of being in the field. The Dons, coached by Todd Golden, haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1998.
BYU basketball returns to action on Saturday night when they host the Central Methodist Eagles from Fayette, Missouri. The tip-off is at 7 p.m. on BYUtv and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM).
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.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
