Where BYU landed in the final AP poll before the NCAA Tournament

As BYU heads into this week’s NCAA Tournament action, the Cougars are staying put in the AP poll.

BYU came in at No. 17 in Monday’s top 25 ranking, maintaining the same poll position as last week.

BYU is one of five Big 12 teams listed in this week’s poll, joining No. 2 Houston, No. 9 Texas Tech, No. 15 Iowa State and No. 21 Arizona.

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In last week’s Big 12 tournament, the Cougars defeated Iowa State in the conference quarterfinals before falling to Houston in the semis.

Monday’s poll is the first this season in which the Cougars are ranked higher than former BYU head coach Mark Pope’s Kentucky squad, who fell down to No. 18.

VCU — BYU’s first-round opponent — received 28 points from voters.

Should the Cougars defeat the Rams on Thursday, they’d face the winner of a Wisconsin-Montana matchup — the Badgers are currently ranked No. 13 in the AP poll.

BYU and VCU are set to play Thursday at 2:05 p.m. MDT in Denver.