15. BYU (16-2)
We knew that BYU had great potential before the season and they gave us plenty of reasons. A good Cougars squad made the Sweet Sixteen last season but this was going to be a great one, especially with top recruit AJ Dybantsa joining the fold. Turning all that potential into a Big 12 contender wasn’t going to be easy but BYU has looked the part of a top team for much of this season.
Another slow start plagued them this week, but a strong second half allowed the Cougars to win 76-70 over TCU. Dybantsa unsurprisingly starred with 25 points and 6 rebounds while Richie Saunders added 18 points. Recent shooting woes hurt BYU over the weekend as they’d fall 84-71 at Texas Tech in what actually was quite the thriller. Robert Wright III was the standout this time with 28 points but the Cougars couldn’t prevail.
The Big 3 of Dybantsa, Saunders, and Wright will continue to win plenty of games for the Cougars but let’s not ignore the problems here. BYU hasn’t been shooting well recently and those slow starts will come back to bite them further down the line. Losing at Texas Tech isn’t some big shame and all this team’s goals are right in front of them. We’ll see them next weekend against Utah with a great chance to bounce back again against their in-state rivals.