While BYU’s blowout loss in the Sweet 16 against a scorching hot Alabama team leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of Cougar fans to end the season, BYU’s 2024-25 campaign was one of the best in school history. Here are 16 reasons to be thankful for this year’s memorable Sweet 16 team:
1. Kevin Young’s validation. BYU hiring away one of the NBA’s top assistant coaches took the college basketball world by surprise. After some shaky performances early in the season, coach Young’s system was firing on all cylinders when it mattered most late in the year. BYU’s rookie head coach has proven to be a master at in-game adjustments and getting the most out of his team.
2. Richie Saunders’ emergence. Saunders transformed himself from an effective energy guy into a game-changing All-Big 12 First Team performer. He was the main catalyst for BYU’s success this year and has carved out a possible NBA future, assuming teams can look past his age.
3. Egor Demin’s passing and potential. The 6-foot-9 freshman point guard from Russia sees the court and manipulates defenses like Magic Johnson. Yes, his unforced turnovers were bad at times, but there’s a reason he was selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman team and an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 player. It’s likely he will be a first round pick in this year’s NBA draft, finally giving BYU fans a player to cheer for in the professional ranks.
4. Celebrating the veteran seniors. Seniors Trevin Knell, Fousseyni Traore, and Trey Stewart spent their entire careers in Provo and are going out on a high note. And they each contributed this year with Knell sniping 3s, Fouss dominating in the post, and Stewart playing lockdown defense in the second half of the season.
5. Nailing the transfer portal. Transfers Keba Keita (Utah) and Mawot Mag (Rutgers) were instrumental in BYU success this year, especially on the defensive end. The fact that Keita spurned Utah for BYU makes it all the sweeter.
6. Finishing third in the Big 12. After surprising almost everyone a season ago by finishing fifth in the Big 12 regular season standings, BYU validated their position among the elite in the conference by finishing third this year.
7. The nine-game conference win streak. For most of the season BYU was a fringe NCAA Tournament team. But on February 11th a road win at West Virginia kicked off what would become a nine-game conference winning streak as the Cougars closed this season as one of the hottest teams in the nation.
8. Demolishing Kansas. As part of that winning streak, BYU obliterated the Kansas Jayhawks 91-57 in one of the most glorious nights in the history of the Marriott Center.
9. Beating Iowa State - twice. In early March BYU traveled to No. 10 Iowa State and pulled off a thrilling double overtime victory. One week later the Cougars faced now No. 12 Cyclones in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament and once again emerged victorious, 96-92.
10. Razing Arizona. In the midst of the nine-game winning streak the Cougars traveled to Tucson for a huge road game against No. 19 Arizona. The McKale Center is a tough place for opposing teams to win, but the Cougs pulled off the upset on two Richie Saunders’ free throws with 3.2 seconds left.
11. Getting the March Madness monkey off the back. BYU had lost twice in the last four years as a No. 6 seed and the team felt cursed. When they drew a really good VCU team in the first round many Cougar fans began to fret. But with a convincing win over the Rams in Round 1, this 2024-25 team exercised the ghosts of tournaments past.
12. Beating 3-seed Wisconsin in Round 2. Then to shake off the tournament curse further, the Cougars knocked off 3-seed and No. 13 ranked Wisconsin in the second round, paving their way to the Sweet 16.
13. Retaining – and validating – AJ Dybantsa. When BYU squad was just 1-3 in conference play, riding a three-game losing steak, and not looking like an NCAA Tournament team, some of the more nervous contingent of the BYU fan base (read: me) became concerned AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2026, could reconsider his commitment. Dybantasa’s decision to hitch his wagon to Kevin Young now seems like a stroke of genius.
14. Showing recruits a prominent future. This season proved to all top recruits that Kevin Young is an exceptional coach, can give them a national platform, and can develop them for the NBA. This season proved out the “PROvo” model.
15. Return on booster investment. Success in college sports can create a virtuous cycle. Winning teams get more investments from big boosters. Those investments should translate into more wins. Those wins then fuel more investment from boosters. Kevin Young’s debut season will keep the cash flowing into his program.
16. This is only the beginning! Some teams with veteran players reach the Sweet 16 after years of hard work, only for that to be their one-year ceiling. BYU reaching the Sweet 16 in Kevin Young’s first season feels like his BYU Cougars are just scratching the surface of the greatness to come.