NCAA Basketball: Houston rises, Duke, Arizona, UConn and Baylor fall in latest top-25 power rankings

23. BYU Cougars - 19-8 (7-7 Big 12)

Last week was the first time that BYU provided some concerns to viewers, nearly blowing a big lead late to barely beat UCF, before giving up 93 points in a road loss to Oklahoma State. They had to rebound at home against Baylor, who had already beaten them before at home.

The good news is that the Cougars’ offense was humming, particularly from deep. BYU made 14/36 from three-point range and got 16 points off the bench from Jaxson Robinson in the 78-71 home win. Aly Khalifa was the star of the game, producing 14 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

Unfortunately for BYU, they suffered another weekend letdown. At a Kansas State squad that has been sliding down in the past month, the Cougars defense couldn’t get many stops. They ended up losing 84-74, with the bench outscoring the starters. Robinson led the way again with 15 points, while Noah Waterman had 12 points and seven rebounds.

The loss puts BYU back to .500 in Big 12 play but they’re firmly in the NCAA Tournament field, which is a nice surprise, compared to preseason expectations. But things won’t get any easier for the Cougars, as they stay in the state of Kansas to take on the Jayhawks. After that is a home battle with TCU.