10. BYU (15-1)
Before the season began, expectations were already sky high at BYU thanks to what his team was bringing to town. Top recruit AJ Dybantsa was a major pull for Kevin Young and his staff, while former Baylor point guard Rob Wright III was just as big an addition for what it meant to this team as a whole. Combine those factors together and it’s easy to see why this is a top team and they’ve shown it time and time again.
They made quick work of Arizona State to start the week, getting a 104-76 home win over those Sun Devils. Richie Saunders had 31 points, Wright had 27 points and Dybantsa put up 23 points in another great showing for their Big 3. The Cougars did enough to survive on the road Saturday night, outlasting Utah 89-84 on the road. All three were above 20 points again, highlighted by a 24-point, 14-rebound effort out of Saunders.
BYU now has won twelve straight games and look the part of a top contender both in the nation and in the Big 12. The Cougars have had this issue with slow starts and sometimes the defense is questionable but they’re in a good place right now. They survived on the road with poor shooting but it’d be hard for this team to survive if something happens to one of those three stars. We’ll see them next in action against TCU before an exciting matchup at Texas Tech next weekend.