March Madness bracket revealed: BYU gets an incredible draw in their group

The moment we've all been waiting for has arrived. Whether you're a casual observer or addicted to all things college hoops, the reveal of the NCAA Tournament bracket is an event the nation anticipates for all of 11 months annually. Some teams will watch as their hopes of a national championship are dashed. Others will leap from their chairs as the path to glory is paved before them.

Others, like BYU, are simply happy the program didn't collapse back in February.

Today is Selection Sunday. That means that all 68 slots in the Tournament's bracket have been finalized, and March Madness is finally in full swing. It's time to cash in your sick days, work from home, and "spend more time with family", because AJ Dybantsa and the BYU Cougars are desperate to prove that they are so much more than the 10th seed of the Big 12 Conference. Just ask Iowa State, Texas Tech, and even Houston how much better than advertised the evolved form of this team has become.

Despite a flurry of key injuries, this is a team that simply hasn't quit. Making several late-season adjustments, Kevin Young hoped to maximize the roster that yet remains, and minimize the team's weaknesses.

In the Big 12 Tournament, BYU advanced two rounds before falling to Houston, but the team proved one critical detail: they can compete with anybody. Now that the brackets are locked, it's time to prove that to the nation.

And here's the best part: BYU's path to the Sweet 16 (last season's benchmark) is remarkably simple.

What seed is BYU in March Madness: A guide through the NCAA Tournament

BYU drew a 6-seed in this year's tournament (to the surprise of nobody) and will play the winner of Texas vs NC State, a First Four matchup for the 11-seed.

Both Texas and NC State endured challenging regular seasons in which expectations weren't quite met (finishing 10th and 7th in their respective conferences). Those details they share with BYU. What they don't share with BYU is the fact that the Cougars are playing their best basketball of the year at the moment.

NC State has lost five of their last six games, with a lone win over Pitt, an ACC bottom-feeder. Texas has also lost five of their last six. Neither team won a game in their conference tournaments, and they're bleeding through their tux on their way to the dance.

BYU has won three of their last four, including a win over top-10 Texas Tech. The Cougars' lone loss arrived at the hands of a top-5 Houston team in a game that saw BYU up at halftime.

Not to mention the best scorer in the nation lives in Provo, Utah.

If BYU can survive and advance in the round of 64 -- and they'll be favored to -- they likely meet up with a Gonzaga team that many believe is a paper tiger among hidden dragons. BYU's old chums from the West Coast Conference have unsurprisingly won the league's tournament and earned a 3-seed for their efforts.

Mark Few's team has lost just three games this year against Michigan in a 40-point blowout, Saint Mary's in a road rivalry, and... the ninth place Portland Pilots? Gonzaga has long outgrown its WCC home and will soon leave to the Pac-12 (Mountain West+), but this season, the Bulldogs inability to avoid tragedy in league play has many cautious that this team is ill-equipped to return to the winner's circle.

BYU could be salivating at the prospects of taking down a Gonzaga team many believe to be overrated.

Looking further down the bracket, the next obstacle in the Cougars' path would be a meeting with a very unsteady Purdue team. Not to say BYU hasn't been unsteady themselves, but when compared to other 2-seeds like UConn, Houston, and Iowa State, it's hard not to like BYU's prospects should they reach the second weekend for the second consecutive year.

It's one step at a time in March, but with AJ Dybantsa and new energy circulating throughout Kevin Young's program, the Cougars could be a popular pick.