With conference tournament week in full swing, the Deseret News will take a daily look through Selection Sunday at how national bracketology experts view schools from Utah in the NCAA Tournament picture.
Wednesday: BYU’s NCAA position and what USU fans should watch
The Cougars gave top-ranked Gonzaga one of its toughest tests of the season before falling 88-78 to the Zags in the West Coast Conference tournament championship game. The Bulldogs stayed the No. 1 overall seed in ESPN’s Joe Lunardi’s bracketology, while BYU earned either a No. 7 or No. 8 seed in most bracketology updates following the title game. Now, the Cougars must wait until Selection Sunday to find out their NCAA Tournament fate.
Utah State won’t start its Mountain West Conference tournament play until Thursday, but there are several games of importance on Wednesday for the Aggies, who are seen as one of the last few teams on the outside of the tournament. USU’s quarterfinal opponent will be the winner of Wednesday’s first-game game between UNLV and Air Force (2:30 p.m. MST, Mountain West Network).
These Wednesday games could impact USU’s bubble hopes:
- Syracuse 89, N.C. State 68: Like USU, Syracuse — which beat the Wolfpack in their early-morning ACC second-round game — is seen as a bubble team and could bolster its NCAA resume with a strong run at the ACC tournament.
- Xavier vs. Butler, Big East first round (4 p.m., FS1): The Musketeers are squarely on the bubble — Lunardi has them as his last team in — and Xavier has lost 5 of 7 since a hot start to the season.
- Duke vs. Louisville, ACC second round (4:30 p.m., ACC Network): The Blue Devils need a long ACC tourney run to be considered for the NCAAs, while Louisville is a projected team in the field, though not far from First Four game consideration.
While Southern Utah and Weber State don’t start play in the Big Sky tournament until Thursday, their quarterfinal opponents will be determined today. The T-Birds will face Northern Colorado — a 90-83 winner over Sacramento State in Wednesday’s early game — while the Wildcats will face the winner of Montana and Idaho (3 p.m., Pluto TV).
Here’s where national experts currently have Utah schools slated in their latest bracketologys:
- BYU: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 Rutgers in first round
- Utah State: First Team Out (Boise State and Colorado State among Last Four In)
- Southern Utah: No. 14 seed vs. No. 3 Arkansas in first round
- BYU: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 Wichita State in first round
- Utah State: Among First Four Out (Boise State among Last Four In)
- Southern Utah: No. 14 seed vs. No. 3 Texas in first round
- BYU: No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 Rutgers in first round
- Utah State: Among First Four Out (Boise State and Colorado State among Last Four In)
- Weber State: No. 14 seed vs. No. 3 Kansas in first round
- BYU: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 North Carolina in first round
- Southern Utah: No. 14 seed vs. No. 3 West Virginia in first round
Bonus bracket: The Washington Post
- BYU: No. 6 seed vs. No. 11 Michigan State in first round
- Utah State: Among First Four On The Outside (along with Boise State and Colorado State)
- Southern Utah: No. 14 seed vs. No. 3 West Virginia in first round
- What they said: “BYU looked fabulous for 20 minutes against Gonzaga in the WCC final, but the scoreboard grades on a 40-minute curve. Expect the Cougars to end up as a No. 6 or No. 7 seed come Sunday.” — Patrick Stevens
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