NCAA Basketball: Houston, Arizona, Auburn rise in latest top 25 power rankings

20. BYU (14-4)

BYU is finding out the hard way that the Big 12 is a crazy difficult conference. They performed very well throughout nonconference play but already dropped a pair of games against their new conference foes. There’s a lot to like about the way this Cougars team play, especially on the offensive end, but how would they fare with two more challenges this week?

The first challenge they met head-on, as the Cougars won 87-72 at home against Iowa State, getting a nice win over a ranked foe. The performance from Spencer Johnson was better than nice, as he dropped 28 points and 9 rebounds in the impressive victory. Unfortunately, things fell apart on Saturday, as BYU built a 16-point halftime lead at Texas Tech before inevitably falling 85-78 to those Red Raiders. Aly Khalifa had 21 points and 7 rebounds and Richie Saunders (16 points) played well, but that second half was awful.

Losing three out of their last five, it’s clear that Big 12 play is going to be challenging, and BYU is not the only team who will be in this boat this season. Their offense turned in two of their most efficient performances of the season and only has one win to show for it. These road tests will be tough, but BYU will look to keep clawing out victories in their new conference. Next week gets no easier, with home games against Houston and Texas.