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It’s safe to say BYU will enter this upcoming basketball season with less outside hype and expectations than last year.
ESPN released its latest college basketball “way too early” top 25 rankings earlier this week, where Kevin Young’s Cougars came in as the fifth team outside the list, making them No. 30 overall.
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In similar rankings from The Athletic and Sports Illustrated, BYU also did not crack the top 25.
While six Big 12 teams ended this past season within KenPom’s top 25, and three of them were ranked as top-10 squads, the trio of ESPN, The Athletic and Sports Illustrated each named four conference schools to their respective early top-25 lists: Arizona, Houston, Kansas and Iowa State.
ESPN projects just one Big 12 schools — Arizona — to reach the top 10, while The Athletic added Houston to Arizona’s company.
Of ESPN’s top 25 teams, eight hail from the SEC, five are from the ACC, another five come from the Big Ten. Similarly, The Athletic has seven teams from both the Big Ten and SEC, with another four schools from the ACC.
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BYU’s current status outside of any early top-25 list shouldn’t cause concern for fans — it’s only June, after all. With the Cougars bringing back just one starter from last year, it’s understandable why pundits would feel uncertain about their odds of being one of the sport’s best squads in 2026-27.
If BYU adds a true starting-caliber center in the next few weeks, perhaps the Cougars will end up receiving more preseason love.
It is worth remembering that when BYU was picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 preseason poll in 2024, the Cougars ended up reaching the Sweet 16.
BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) drives on Arizona forward Sidi Gueye during game, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz. | Rick Scuteri
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/where-byu-other-big-12-190000551.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-03 19:00:00
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