NCAA Basketball: Purdue, Marquette rise in latest top 25 power ranking
By Joey Loose
18. BYU (6-0)
After relative struggles last year, this season has certainly been a pleasant surprise at BYU. The success comes at a great time as this is the Cougars’ first season in the Big 12. Beating San Diego State in the opening week was fantastic but that’s not all for these Cougars, who have looked dominant for most of the first three weeks of the season.
That dominance continued at the Vegas Showdown, as BYU got a 77-49 victory over Arizona State on Thanksgiving, getting a game-high 24 points from Noah Waterman. The Cougars got another win over a power conference foe the following night, clawing out of a halftime hole for a 95-86 win against NC State. BYU shot and rebounded well and were led by Jaxson Robinson’s 23 points off the bench.
Now six games into the season, BYU continues to look extremely impressive and are certainly exceeding initial expectations. While things could certainly change when the conference portion of their schedule begins, this team has handled their business and bounced back after real struggles in the WCC last year. For now, the attention turns to Fresno State this upcoming week, with a very good shot at surviving November undefeated.