BYU Reaches Sweet 16 After Another Magical Visit To Denver

DENVER – BYU basketball is probably going to want all of their NCAA Tournament games to be played in Denver, Colorado, moving forward.

After 14 long years away, BYU is back in the Sweet 16.

The last time they reached the Sweet 16 was in 2011 after a pair of wins over Wofford and Gonzaga in Denver, at what was then called the Pepsi Center, now Ball Arena.

Denver has been kind to BYU Basketball

Fast forward to this week, Kevin Young’s squad knocked off No. 11 seed VCU in the first round, then No. 3 seed Wisconsin, 91-89 on Saturday night in front of a pro-BYU crowd, to send the Cougars into the second weekend of the “Big Dance.”

“Good omens, I guess,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said about Denver after the win over Wisconsin.

“But personally, I’ve had good memories in this building, and so this is by far the best one, man. Just the energy in the building, you can’t describe it. It felt like, honestly, a home game in certain moments for Cougar Nation, just everywhere, just so much blue out there. Obviously, Denver has been good to us.”

It was a wire-to-wire victory for BYU that required the Cougars to hold on at the very end.

Instead of pulling away from the Badgers and cruising to a comfortable victory, BYU let Wisconsin get back in the game.

The Cougars led by 11 with 2:35 remaining. BYU would close out the game without a field goal.

Wisconsin’s All-American star John Tonje then went to work putting the team on his back as he piled up a game-high 37 points.

Mawot Mag on the final defensive stand to seal the 91-89 win for BYU over Wisconsin.@kslsports pic.twitter.com/HySFWMqppQ

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 23, 2025

Tonje trimmed BYU’s lead down to two points with 13.5 seconds remaining in regulation.

BYU needed one more stop. They turned to defensive stopper Mawot Mag to defend Tonje. The Second Team All-American forced a difficult shot with Mag all over him. It resulted in an airball, giving BYU their first victory over a single-digit-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament since 1991.

BYU basketball is on another magical NCAA Tournament run

It was an interesting finish to a game that featured high-powered offenses going back and forth at each other, and it would end on a defensive stop.

“There’s a little magic in this building,” BYU Deputy AD Brian Santiago said to KSL Sports on Saturday night after the win. “We were here in 2011 and magic happened. Then it happened again today. I’m just super proud of our full coaching staff, our players, and the heart they showed. The boys showed a way to get that game. (Wisconsin)’s a great team, but come on, this is what you play for.”

Richie Saunders is the star of the team

BYU head coach Kevin Young challenged his team entering the Wisconsin game to level up the urgency after taking down VCU in the opening round.

Players acknowledged that they were a little tight to open the tournament against the Rams. Against Wisconsin, BYU played loose and confidently and showed toughness to pull out a victory against a good opponent.

This year’s BYU team might not have a Jimmer Fredette or Danny Ainge like those previous Sweet 16 BYU squads. But Richie Saunders answers the bell every night.

The Big 12’s “Most Improved Player” scored 25 points on an efficient shooting night from the field. Saunders knocked down 56% of his attempts and hit 75% from 3-point range (3-of-4).

To go along with his 25 points, Saunders grabbed seven rebounds.

As a team, BYU outrebounded Wisconsin 41 to 32. They showed toughness on the glass while also displaying their teamwork with 21 assists on 32 made field goals.

Egor Demin is playing at a high level in the NCAA Tournament

Egor Demin shined once again. The former Real Madrid star, who has been playing on big stages since he was 15 years old, scored 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out eight assists.

 

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According to Cougarstats.com, Demin is only the ninth freshman in NCAA Tournament history to put together a stat line with 11, eight, and eight. Others include Jalen Suggs, Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, and others.

“It’s definitely somewhere high,” Demin told KSL Sports, where the Wisconsin game experience ranks in his basketball career.

“Just the fact that it’s March Madness and the second round, nothing is easy anymore. I was learning so much during my career in Spain, and during this season, I’ve learned a ton of new things. Being on the team with these type of guys … it’s a special team for me, a special place, and a special game.”

The next destination for BYU basketball on this NCAA Tournament run is Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center, home of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Seton Hall Pirates.

Next up: Newark, New Jersey

BYU will face either No. 2 seed Alabama or No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s in the Sweet 16.

It’s another big stage for Kevin Young’s program.

Kevin Young leads BYU to the Sweet 16 in year one pic.twitter.com/cexiPXb9Ik

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 23, 2025

“I think the emotion just stems from how happy I am for all of our players and everyone that supports BYU,” Young said on reaching the Sweet 16. “You look up in there, and you see that much support, it’s really just gratifying to be able to lead this team for everyone that supports it.

“For me personally, just seeing my kids over there, my wife and all my family, there’s just so many people that care about this, so that part of the emotion kind of got to me once we got that last stop.”

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.

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