Where BYU basketball stands in NCAA Bracketology coming out of Big 12 Tournament
Mar 13, 2026, 1:46 PM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Bracketology is entering the home stretch with conference tournament weekend here.
BYU basketball returned home to Provo on Friday morning after a strong showing in the Big 12 Tournament this week.
AJ Dybantsa was a superstar, setting the Big 12 Tournament record for most points scored in the event, passing his favorite player, Kevin Durant, in the process.
BYU head coach Kevin Young on a message he gave his team recently: "There's absolutely nothing like playing in March Madness. Even cooler for me than going to the NBA Finals."
The Madness is approaching. pic.twitter.com/AjIqgcBguF
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 13, 2026
BYU finished 2-1 in the Big 12 Tournament with a loss in the quarterfinals to No. 5 Houston.
Bracketology forecast for BYU after the Big 12 Tournament
The Cougars now turn their attention to the NCAA Tournament. BYU doesn’t have to sweat whether they will be in the field; it’s simply a question of where they will land in the field of 68.
“This is something I told our guys a couple of weeks ago, and I learned this last year — and, you know, I was fortunate in the NBA to be on some really good teams. We were, you know, two wins away from winning an NBA championship, and what I shared with the guys was that it was cool, but there’s absolutely nothing like playing in March Madness. Like even cooler for me than going to the NBA Finals,” said BYU head coach Kevin Young.
“And I really just can’t wait for AJ (Dybantsa) to experience. Rob (Wright III) obviously has experience under his belt. So to be able to have some good energy heading into that unbelievable opportunity that we’re getting ready to get into, it’s just super exciting.”
Some key metrics for BYU, as of Friday, March 13.
- NET: 23
- NET Strength of Schedule: 11
- Quad 1: 7-10
- Quad 2: 7-1
- Quad 3: 4-0
- Quad 4: 5-0
ESPN: 6-seed vs. 11-seed Texas in Portland
Lunardi has been pretty consistent in his projections, with BYU playing in Portland.
CBS: 7-seed vs. 10-seed Miami (Ohio)
It will be interesting to see if the RedHawks make it into the NCAA Tournament after falling to 8-seed UMass in the MAC Tournament.
FOX: 6-seed vs. 11-seed SMU/Texas
If BYU receives a 6-seed, the Cougars could learn their NCAA Tournament first-round opponent as late as Tuesday night.
Basket Under Review: 6-seed vs. 11-seed NC State
The Wolfpack has lost seven of its last nine games.
Blogging the Bracket: 7-seed vs. 10-seed Santa Clara in Oklahoma City
A matchup with a former WCC foe would be a fun storyline. The Broncos notched a big win over Saint Mary’s in the WCC Tournament Semifinal in Las Vegas, before falling to Gonzaga.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
