I would say that BYU basketball's upset win over Iowa State came out of nowhere, but it seems we predicted a Cougar victory in an article a few days before tip-off. Perhaps we are basketball geniuses. Perhaps we threw a dart while blindfolded and managed to stick the triple-20. You be the judge.
Following the biggest win of the season at a critical moment, AJ Dybantsa is posturing himself as the clear-cut number-one pick in crunch time, pushing a hobbled and deflated BYU basketball team to a 79-69 win against the now fourth-ranked Iowa State Cyclones.
Wins like that give basketball teams new life. And it didn't arrive a moment too soon for Kevin Young in his second season in the driver's seat.
From top to bottom, effort and energy were peaking for the Cougars, as their defense managed to slow one of the best shooting teams in college basketball, while simultaneously irritating Big 12 Player of the Year candidate Joshua Jefferson as the Marriott Center's ceiling lifted from its structure.
BYU basketball slowed its descent, and for the first time in a long time, they climbed the ladder of the AP Poll rather than slipping down its rungs. Having fallen as low as 23rd before clawing back to 19, BYU basketball is through the toughest stretch of the season and is now favored in each of their final four regular season matchups, including West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Texas Tech.
But before they can prepare for the postseason, BYU basketball has to go through UCF, a scrappy, hungry, and desperate team hoping to claim an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament this March.
UCF is knotted with BYU in the Big 12 Conference standings, with both teams sitting at 8-6 on the year.
Yet BYU approaches this battle as 9.5-point home favorites. As the Knights enter the Marriott Center, the stands will be stuffed to capacity as the wind once again fills the sails of the Good Ship Lollipop in Provo (it must be docked at Utah Lake?). BYU, a team that has struggled mightily against the top half of the Big 12 Conference this year, will have to face off against their equal in total losses. If the AJ Dybantsa, Rob Wright, and company are ready to plant their flag as a conference contender, they'll need to ride the wave of their own momentum to a controlling victory against UCF.
The Knights' marquee wins this year were home triumphs against Kansas (that win has aged magnificently) and Texas Tech (aging less magnificently). They have a 9-7 record in Quad 1 and 2 games, compared to BYU's 12-7. The Cougars are battle-tested, and will approach this matchup with supreme confidence under the Marriott Center lights.
A team capable of landing a haymaker in the right circumstances, UCF could give BYU basketball cause for pause after an incredible win over TJ Otzelberger's Cyclones. UCF is ranked 46th in the NET rankings compared to BYU's 19.
If BYU can recapture the all-hands-in-the-middle mentality that carried them over ISU, Central Florida won't stand a chance. Leave the work to Dybantsa and Wright, however, and it'll be a hard crash back down to the Earth for the high-riding Cougs.
Kevin Young found a winning formula last week. BYU handles business on Tuesday,