Brigham Young Cougars forward Fousseyni Traore (45) and Brigham Young Cougars forward Caleb Lohner (33) clap during a time out as BYU and Pacific play in an NCAA basketball game in Provo at the Marriott Center on Thursday, January 6, 2022 . (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah — BYU basketball is moving up Bracketology predictions after one of their best wins this season.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has BYU checked in as an 8 seed in his latest field with 68 projection. That’s a one-point increase from the nine seeds he had for the 15-4 Cougars a week ago.
The jump comes courtesy of BYU, who are recovering from a 10-point deficit on the San Francisco road. BYU’s victory over the Dons is BYU’s only “quad one” win so far this season. The NCAA selection committee sees teams based on “quadrants” ranked according to the NCAA’s daily NET rankings.
BYU is currently No. 26 in the latest NET rankings and has a record of 7-4 against teams currently falling under the Quad One and Quad Two metrics.
BYU basketball advances in Bracketology predictions
The eight seeds predicted by Joey Brackets agree with many bracketologists. According to the Bracket matrix (a summary of Bracketology projections), BYU is projecting an eighth this March. Bracketologists rank BYU at five to eleven seeds.
Lunardi’s scheduled first-round matchup for BYU is 9-seed Indiana from the Big Ten Conference. BYU’s quadrant includes defending champion and future Big 12 rival Baylor as No. 1.
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While Saturday’s game was a celebratory game for BYU, it was heartbreak for the Dons as it was a missed opportunity to pick up another Quad One win in their NCAA tournament resume. USF has not been to the NCAA tournament since 1998.
Despite losing to BYU, San Francisco still slips into the field by 10 seeds. Along with BYU and USF, two other WCC teams appear in Lunardi’s bracket, with Gonzaga being No. 1 in second place and Saint Mary’s earning a 10-seed.
The West Coast Conference has never placed four teams in the NCAA tournament.
BYU basketball returns for two home games at the Marriott Center this weekend, beginning with a Thursday night vs. San Diego and then Saturday night vs. Portland.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday 12-3pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
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