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After establishing a four-game win streak with national brands Kansas and Arizona as victims, BYU climbed into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time this season at No. 25.
This is what happens with three straight Quad 1 wins.
Heading into a game at Arizona State on Wednesday and a home game against West Virginia Saturday, the Cougars are turning heads with Kevin Young's pick-and-roll and five-out bomb and drive offense.
Entering the week, BYU was nationally ranked, particularly in shooting efficiency, 3-point production, and overall offensive efficiency. The team also boasts strong assist numbers and bench scoring, indicative of a well-rounded team approach. The Cougars' defense is also top-tier, contributing to their balanced profile and national rankings (25th AP, 27th KenPom, 29th NET). With a 19-8 record and a 10-6 mark in the Big 12, BYU is a strong NCAA Tournament contender, likely an eight or nine seed with potential to climb higher if it maintains momentum.
These rankings are current as of Tuesday, but real-time NCAA stats can fluctuate slightly based on other teams' results. For the most up-to-date rankings, consult NCAA.com or KenPom.com .
Overall record:19-8
Conference record (Big 12):10-6
Big 12 standing:fifth
NET ranking:29 (per posts on X, reflecting data through Feb. 21, 2025)
KenPom ranking:27 (a widely respected analytics ranking)
AP poll ranking:25 (indicating national recognition among top teams)
Projected NCAA Tournament Seed:8-9 (based on current performance and projections)
BYU's offensive prowess is a standout feature this season under Kevin Young. The following rankings and analysis are sourced from a detailed breakdown created by Grok search via X on Feb. 19, 2025, and remained relevant as of Tuesday, barring any significant shifts in the last five days (no games are noted between Feb. 19 and Feb. 24 that would drastically alter these stats):
2-point field goal percentage (2PFG%):sixth nationally — BYU excels at converting shots inside the arc, showcasing strong interior scoring efficiency.
Effective field goal percentage (eFG%):ninth — this metric, which adjusts for the added value of 3-pointers, highlights BYU's overall shooting efficiency.
3-point field goals made per game (3PFGM):ninth — the Cougars are among the top teams in volume of successful 3-point shots.
Adjusted offensive efficiency (AdjO):13th — per KenPom's metric, BYU's offense is highly efficient when adjusted for opponent strength, a testament to their scoring ability in the tough Big 12.
Assists per game:14th — reflects strong ball movement and team play, contributing to their offensive success.
Percentage of points from 3-point field goals:15th — a significant portion of BYU's scoring comes from beyond the arc, aligning with their reliance on 3-point shooting.
3-Point field goal attempt rate:15th — indicates a strategic emphasis on taking 3-point shots.
3-point field goal attempts per game (3PFGA):20th — reinforces their high volume of 3-point attempts.
Bench points per game:19th — BYU's depth is evident, with reserves contributing significantly to the scoreboard.
Scoring margin:23rd — the Cougars outscore opponents by a healthy average, reflecting their offensive dominance relative to defense allowed.
Quad 1 (home 1-30, neutral 1-50, away 1-75):3-7 — indicates struggles against top-tier opponents but still includes quality wins.
Quad 2 (home 31-75, neutral 51-100, away 76-135):5-1 — strong performance against mid-tier teams.
Quad 3 (home 76-160, neutral 101-200, away 136-240):4-0 — perfect against lower-mid-tier opponents.
Quad 4 (home 161+, neutral 201+, away 241+):6-0 — dominant against the weakest competition.
BYU put up 187 points on two of the nation's top 10 defenses in Kansas and Arizona this past week. Does that mean the Cougars offense has taken a major step forward this late in the season?
Jay Drew:We saw signs after the disaster at Cincinnati that BYU's offense was figuring things out in Kevin Young's system when the Cougars went to Orlando and knocked off UCF. Since then, they have played brilliantly on that side of the court, downing Kansas State, Kansas and Arizona with decent defense and eye-poppingly efficient offense.
Young has made a couple tweaks, such as giving Dallin Hall more time, and the results have been amazing. Scoring 91 and 96 points on Kansas and Arizona, respectively, was something I never envisioned BYU doing.
The Cougars use Young's NBA-style, pick-and-roll-heavy attack to jump into the national rankings. They are as hot offensively as any team in the country. That should continue Wednesday in Tempe, although Arizona State is always dangerous at home.
Dick Harmon:It took some time for BYU to forge confidence in its shooters, trigger its drivers and polish a pick-and-roll offense with two athletes from Mali, Africa, but now that it's rolling it's impressive. The big key is Richie Saunders and his inside-out game and hustle.
Young's design forces defenses to close out on shooters and then option out to drive and finish or kick with Egor Demin and Dallin Hall. Saunders is the guy who can deliver daggers at the 3-point line or with the ball in his hands at the rim. We've seen an increased efficiency with Keba Keita at the rim and when the 3-balls fall, it's a tough offense to defend.
There will be games where Kanon Catchings, Mawot Mag and Dawson Baker do not hit from outside at a high rate, but Saunders and Trevin Knell are making around 40% from beyond the arc and that's an effective baseline to give Young real damage on defenses. The proof is in what it did to Kansas and Arizona, two of the best defenses in the country.
In the Arizona game, we saw the Wildcats chase 2-pointers while BYU outscored them from 3-point land. If it weren't for Arizona getting to the line on some tacky calls in the final four minutes, this would have been an eight- or nine-point win for the Cougars in Tucson. That's impressive.
Here's our coverage of the Arizona win, a significant upset of one of the Big 12's best programs and established college blue blood:
Aside from controversy, BYU pulls off big upset ( Jay Drew)
From the hunted to the hunter: How BYU flipped script ( Dick Harmon)
Profane chant draws apology from UA ( Jay Drew)
Late call goes BYU's way in massive upset ( Jay Drew )
What UA's Tommy Lloyd said in aftermath ( Jackson Payne )
Andy Katz elevates BYU hoops ( NCAA.com )
Catchings delivered huge points ( Lawless Republic )
BYU retires jersey of Spaulding ( Daily Herald )
Comments from Deseret News readers:
BYU has upped its game. I think the coaching staff has done very well. I was a little surprised Utah fired its coach, but I do not follow Utah closely. Catchings maybe is starting to catch fire very good. The team is deep and Coach Young goes deep and it is working. I was pessimistic BYU would end up worse than the preseason rank of ninth, but now it looks like being fifth or higher is doable.
— What in Tuckett
Slow down the hype train. That win over Kansas knocked the Jayhawks out of the polls.
Beating UofA in McKale by single point is great, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the Cougs are a better team for the entire season. The Cougs are still two games behind the Wildcats in the conference standings and played a weaker non-conf schedule. Still a great win.
#25 is a great place to enter ... although you can probably argue about St. Mary's entering at #23 ... it's not a problem to be ranked 3 spots below the Wildcats. It just means that there are more chances to climb the polls and stay humble, because nothing has been accomplished yet!
— Cougs4life
Feb. 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Men's basketball | ASU | @ Tempe, Arizona
Feb. 27 | 12 p.m. | Women's tennis | Arizona | @ Tucson, Arizona
Feb. 28 | 4 p.m. | Baseball | Gonzaga | @ Spokane, Washington
Feb. 28 | 5 p.m. | Men's tennis | Denver | @ Provo
March 1 | 12 p.m. | Men's tennis | Air Force | @ Provo
March 1 | 1:30 p.m. | Women's basketball | Utah | @ Salt Lake City
March 1 | 2 p.m. | Baseball | Gonzaga | @ Spokane, Washington
March 1 | 8 p.m. | Men's basketball | West Virginia | @ Provo
