BYU basketball: Cougars roll into Big 12 tournament on a wave of emotion, momentum

Smiles, back slaps and high fives returned to the Marriott Center late Saturday night, as left-for-dead BYU rallied from a 13-point first half deficit to knock off No. 10 Texas Tech 82-76 in front of 18,104 anxious fans.

It was just what the doctor ordered for the Cougars, who had lost their three previous games and were being doubted as an NCAA Tournament team despite their No. 24 NET ranking (No. 25 in KenPom) and six Quad 1 wins.

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Saturday’s first win over Texas Tech since 1993 marked BYU’s seventh Quad 1 win, and second Quad 1A win, with the Cougars having upset then-No. 6 Iowa State two weeks ago in Provo.

“It was good,” coach Kevin Young said of BYU’s preparation ahead of Senior Night and the regular-season finale. “Some of our best days this year on the practice court, and a large reason was we really had to (turn it around). Call a spade a spade. It has been a tough year.”

The question now: Which BYU team will show up in the postseason? Will it be the one that looked like a legitimate contender against shorthanded Texas Tech, or the one that looked clueless on defense and lacked effort in losses to UCF, West Virginia and Cincinnati?

“Just (from) my experience of postseason basketball, whether it’s March Madness or the NBA playoffs, is you just have to rely on your habits,” Young said.

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“You can’t come out and do something uncharacteristic. You got to rely on what’s gotten you to that point, do what you’re good at, do your job, and ultimately if you do that, then you’re able to execute, and hopefully that leads to wins.”

Those last three aforementioned losses dropped BYU to a No. 10 seed in the Big 12 tournament, although the Cougars technically tied for seventh with a 9-9 league record. BYU has now finished at .500 or better in all three of its seasons as a member of the Big 12, a remarkable feat considering the league is often referred to as the best in college basketball.

The Cougars will face No. 15 seed Kansas…

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Publish date : 2026-03-09 00:19:00

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