BYU cracks AP Top 25 rankings for first time in two years. Here’s how the Cougars did it
BYU basketball is no longer a secret, and the Cougars have no one to blame but themselves. The team picked to compete in the shadow of just about everybody else in the Big 12 is basking in the spotlight and on Monday cracked the AP Top 25 rankings for the first time in two years, checking in at No. 19.
The achievement is even more impressive when you consider how they did it, who they did it with, and where they have been in between national rankings.
Where they have been?
Fresh off a 75-64 victory at Utah, BYU jumped up to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 on Nov. 29, 2021. Two weeks later, after a rash of injuries, illnesses and a pair of road defeats at Utah Valley and Creighton, they were gone.
The 2021-22 season ended with a fifth-place finish in the West Coast Conference and a bid to the NIT. Another fifth-place finish last year kept the Cougars out of the postseason all together.
Low expectations stalked BYU into the summer as Mark Pope and his staff searched the transfer portal from top to bottom, but could only secure two players, 6-foot-11 center Aly Khalifa (Charlotte) and 6-foot-4 shooting guard Dawson Baker (UC Irvine). Highly touted 6-foot-8 freshman Marcus Adams (Kansas) also transferred to BYU but is still waiting his NCAA clearance.
The preseason Big 12 media poll projected the Cougars to finish 13th among the 14 teams.
How they did it?
The thought of getting BYU ranked in the top 25 by Nov. 28 never entered Pope’s mind as he scheduled a summer basketball tour to Europe. He hoped the extra practices and exhibition games, along with a Kresimir Cosic history lesson in Croatia would foster team togetherness.
He guessed right.
When the season began, improved team unity was obvious and it showed up in the stats with better rebounding, ball protection and distribution and balanced scoring. The vibe with these guys is all for one and one for all.
This group isn’t selfish, self-centered or self-absorbed.
Through six games, BYU has had five different leading scorers. The Cougars are also shooting from all over the floor. Pope and his staff decided to focus on what they have instead of what they don’t. The Cougars may be undersized, but they can shoot, and he is letting them fire away.
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Pope’s benchmark is attempting 35 3-point shots per game. Imagine how that concept went over to a roster full of gunners.
So far, the Cougars have outscored their opponents from the 3-point line 234-75. To get off a flurry of transition 3s, Pope instructs that they must first rebound the ball. So far, the Cougars have outrebounded their opponents 284-178. To make rebounds available so they can get down the floor and shoot 3s, Pope demands they play defense. So far, the Cougars are holding opponents to 60.2 points per game while scoring 92.3.
Even more impressive is that BYU’s starters are only outpacing its bench production by 78 points. So far, the Cougars nonstarters are outscoring their opponents’ bench 238-84.
BYU turned a few heads on Nov. 10 by upsetting No. 17 San Diego State 74-65 and outrebounding the Aztecs 42-32. Last week, they added to their top-25 resume by blowing out Arizona State 77-49 and beating NC State 95-86 to win the Vegas Showdown. The Cougars beat the Wolfpack without starting center Fousseyni Traore (injury) and back-up center Atiki Ally Atiki (suspension).
Who they did it with?
Most impressive is who BYU is winning with. If you scour the roster closely, you will find basically the same team Pope had last season minus two of their top scorers, Gideon George (10.4) and Rudi Williams (12.8). The return of Trevin Knell from a medical redshirt is an exception. As for the newcomers, Khalifa has been limited by a sore knee and Baker has missed all six games with a bad foot.
So how does a team that finished 7-9 in the WCC earn a national ranking eight months later with basically the same guys? Call it a psychological transformation, or just growing older and understanding that it’s more fun to win and it’s easier to win when everyone, coaches, and players alike, give everything they have.
Each player’s personal buy-in is reflected in the numbers. For seniors Spencer Johnson and Knell, those numbers include their ages. At 26, Johnson is the oldest player in college basketball and Knell, at 25, is not far behind. Their experience, court savvy and reliable 3-point shots are invaluable to Pope’s roster. Knell averages 12.3 points and is making 45.9% of his 3-point shots. Johnson provides a steady 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds.
The two most noticeable transformers include Noah Waterman and Jaxson Robinson. Both arrived in the transfer portal prior to last season. Waterman, a 6-foot-11 Detroit Mercy move-in, averaged 4.6 points and 2.8 rebounds, but six games into his second year in the program, he’s averaging 12.5 points and 6.8 rebounds. Last week, Waterman scored a career-high 24 points against Arizona State and was named the MVP of the Vegas Showdown.
During Robinson’s BYU debut, the 6-foot-7 Arkansas transfer averaged 8.5 points and 2.9 rebounds. So far, in year two, he’s averaging 15.3 and 3.5 rebounds, including a career-high 23 points last Friday against NC State.
During Richie Saunders’ freshman season, the 6-foot-5 Wasatch Academy product averaged 5.5 points and 2.4 rebounds. So far as a sophomore, he’s at 9.5 points per game with 4.3 rebounds and is 11 of 12 from the free-throw line.
Trey Stewart averaged 1.5 points, 1.2 rebounds and shot 11.8% from the 3-point line last season as a junior. As a senior, the 6-foot-2 guard averages 5.3 points, three rebounds and is shooting .333 from the 3-point line and started the first four games of the season.
Dallin Hall, Traore and Atiki’s numbers remain on par with last season. Add it all up and you have a squad that is among the highest scoring and best defending teams in the country — worthy of a top 25 ranking.
What’s up ahead?
There are no permanent residencies offered in the AP Top 25, just timeshares. There is no way to know if BYU’s miraculous start will continue or how long the Cougars might reside in the polls. The Cougars need to get Traore healthy after going down with what appeared to be a hamstring issue early in Friday’s game against NC State.
With or without him, BYU will play Fresno State on Friday at the Delta Center (7 p.m., ESPN+). The Cougars will host Evansville Dec. 5 before playing at Utah on Dec. 9. Denver, Georgia State, Bellarmine and Wyoming all come to Provo before BYU’s Big 12 home opener against Cincinnati on Jan. 6.
Credit Pope and his staff. Nine months ago, they limped out of the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas after a semifinal defeat in the WCC Tournament and walked right into the Big 12, arguably the toughest basketball conference in America.
Months later, in front of the Big 12 media in Kansas City, Pope announced his plans for the season — his team was going to play disruptive defense, shoot the 3 and defend the Marriott Center. There was no mention of a national ranking, but just six games into the season, that’s where they are.
What makes No. 19 BYU even more unpredictable is it is not only a team of defenders, rebounders and shooters, it is squad of believers, and Pope is leading the way.
