NCAA Basketball: Arizona, Baylor, and BYU rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
19. BYU (21-8)
A recent rough stretch pushed BYU out of the rankings but they certainly earned their way back into the fold this week. This program is still in year one in the Big 12, making a major jump from life in the WCC, and things are going about as well as possible. Few expected this type of season from these Cougars, let alone what they accomplished this week.
That big surprise came on Tuesday as BYU went to Lawrence and came away with a 76-68 win at Kansas. Dallin Hall and Jaxson Robinson both scored 18 points as the Cougars beat the Jayhawks in their first-ever Big 12 matchup. BYU was back home on Saturday night and really played flat, trailing TCU by 17 points at the half. However, the Cougars had a crazy second-half comeback to win 87-75, led by 21 points from Fousseyni Traore and 20 points from Trevin Knell.
A wild week results in two favorable wins and the Cougars are back up to 9-7 in year one in the tough Big 12. Things haven’t always gone smoothly this season, but BYU became the first team to win at Kansas this season. Let down by their defense in recent weeks, the Cougars are hoping for strong play from both sides of the ball down the stretch, especially in a challenging game at Iowa State next week.