PROVO — The BYU basketball program is aiming for a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years.
Two wins — featuring two dramatic game-winning shots by senior guard TJ Haws — have helped put the Cougars in position to accomplish that goal.
In mid-November, Haws made a buzzer-beating jumper that bounced off the rim and into the basket to upset Houston, a road victory that continues to resonate as Houston is currently ranked No. 25 in the Associated Press poll.
Then last Saturday at the Marriott Center, Haws struck again, drilling a deep 3-pointer that touched nothing but net with nine seconds remaining in a heart-pounding 81-79 win, solidifying BYU’s at-large NCAA Tournament resume.
Of course, the Cougars need to continue winning if they want to go to the Big Dance but, right now, things are trending upward for BYU.
According to BracketMatrix.com, the Cougars (17-7, 6-3) are predicted to get into the NCAA Tournament in all 78 projected brackets with an average seed of 9.33.
Three of BYU’s losses have come at the hands of teams ranked No. 2 (Gonzaga), No. 3 (Kansas) and No. 4 (San Diego State) in this week’s AP poll.
Meanwhile, the Cougars received 14 votes in this week’s AP Poll (33rd overall), released Monday morning, and BYU is ranked No. 26 in the NCAA’s NET rankings. The Cougars checked in at No. 19 in the latest Kenpom.com rankings.
The Athletic’s Seth Davis praised BYU this weekend, putting BYU No. 2 in his “Buy ’em” list.
“The Cougars have never been ranked this season, but they are No. 16 on KenPom.com and scored a tough win at home over Saint Mary’s on Saturday night,” Davis wrote. “Five of BYU’s seven losses have come without 6-8 senior forward Yoeli Childs in the lineup, but he is eligible and healthy now and averaging 21 points and nine rebounds per game.”
ESPN’s Bubble Watch had this to say about BYU: “In the league play only, BYU is one of the most accurate teams we’ve seen from the field in recent years. BYU’s eFG% in (West Coast Conference) play (61.6) compares favorably with what we saw from Villanova in its heyday (60.3 in 2018) … these guys don’t miss.”
The Cougars, who are tied with Saint Mary’s for second place in the WCC standings, visit last-place Portland on Thursday. BYU returns home Saturday to host San Francisco. The Cougars fell at USF 83-82 on Jan. 25 after squandering a 14-point lead.
No doubt, knocking off the Gaels last Saturday was big for BYU.
“It was a battle all night. We had a lot of frustration. They made tough shots all night,” said Haws, who finished with 23 points. “Things went our way a little bit and then things went their way for a while. We were just tough all night. We just continued to battle. When it’s a team win like that, they’re so much fun to be a part of.”
BYU fed off the crowd of 15,212, which provided an electric atmosphere at the Marriott Center.
“It was fantastic. When there’s an hour on the clock before the game and the whole ROC is filled, you know it’s going to be a fun night,” Haws said. “When this atmosphere is like this, when it’s full, there’s no experience like it to be able to play out there on the floor. When you hit a big shot, when you get a big stop, when it gets loud like that, it’s amazing.”
Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett acknowledged the Cougars’ home-court advantage.
“This is a tough place to play. It’s a great place to play. It’s a great atmosphere,” he said. “I don’t know if there’s any college basketball atmosphere better than the one we played in tonight.”
Haws’ wife, Lauren, gave birth to the couple’s first child, a son they named Tyson Ralph Haws, Sunday night. Haws tweeted that Sunday’s blessed event “was even better” than what happened Saturday.
As for the victory over Saint Mary’s, Haws said Saturday night it was one of the most memorable games of his career.
“It’s up there at the top. Anytime you can beat a team like that, it’s a super, great building opportunity for us,” he said. “It gives us a lot of confidence. Those ones out there in a packed Marriott Center, it’s as good as it gets.”
Cougars on the air
BYU (17-7, 6-3)
at Portland (9-15, 1-8)
Thursday, 8 p.m. MST
Chiles Center
TV: Stadium
Radio: 1160 AM, 102.7 FM