What BYU gained from Big 12 tournament; What seed will it earn in March Madness?

After an electric start to the week, BYU was eliminated by Houston in the third round of the Big 12 tournament.

Here's a look at what BYU gained this week, and talk about what awaits in the NCAA tournament.

Day One

Fresh off a tremendously big break in an upset win against Texas Tech, the Cougars entered the tournament as the 10th overall seed and were still searching for answers. The team has been through a rough year with injuries and losing stretches, leaving many fans wondering what exactly would happen during the postseason; however, game one did not disappoint.

BYU put on a show against Kansas State with a dominant offensive performance in a 105-91 win. AJ Dybantsa went off, scoring 40 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, showing everyone why he is the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Alongside Dybantsa, multiple Cougars stepped up and made their presence known.

Photo by Rodrigo Zarate

“It's been an up-and-down season obviously, but none of those guys have batted an eye,” said coach Kevin Young. “They've just stayed in the gym, they've stayed hungry and they've earned trust to get out there and be able to help contribute to a win.”

BYU’s Dominique Diomande took advantage of the minutes he played and brought the “wow” factor onto the floor with him.

“I thought Dom's play was extremely inspirational for the team and something that we could build on,” said Young.

At the end of the first day BYU was looking good. The rebounding game was up, role players were making highlights, the court monster wasn’t stealing ACLs, and Rob Wright III was able to find a dentist to fix his mouth. Next up, a rematch against West Virginia.

Day Two

Just 11 days after the loss in Morgantown, BYU was given the opportunity to finish the job and win against the Mountaineers of West Virginia. With the momentum of two wins in-a-row, experience on the tournament court, and the motivation for revenge, the Cougars were ready to silence the doubters.

In contrast to the offensive showcase that was the game against Kansas State, BYU controlled the floor against West Virginia with a phenomenal night of defense.

The Cougars dominated the boards with 19 defensive rebounds to West Virginia’s 10 offensive, ending the game with a +5 total rebound margin. The Cougars were able to force 22 turnovers and disrupt the Mountaineers' offense all night, holding them to just 48 points at the end of the game.

Photo by Rodrigo Zarate

When asked what he saw from the team defensively, coach Young said, “Just effort, honestly … we just challenged our guys to do things stronger, longer, harder, faster, more… that's really it. So that's what we saw tonight."

West Virginia’s lead scorer, Honor Huff, was held to just 3 of 13 from the field and the team only made 2 of 12 three pointers in the second half.

“We've opened up our rotation,” said Young. “A lot of the guys that we bring in off the bench are really good athletes, have great length … tonight we were able to use that to get out and contest a lot of their shots to hold them to that number.”

Day Three

From the minute the doors opened at T-Mobile Center, the energy was palpable. The slate of games for the day was full of heavy hitters; and as fans poured into the arena, it was sure to be a good day for basketball.

Fans and media alike were ready to see a hyped up rematch between projected first round draft picks in BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Houston’s Kingston Flemings.

The first half of the game was eventful to say the least. Right from the tip-off, players from both teams were slipping everywhere on the court. For Houston, a team that hadn’t played yet on the new court, it was to be expected that there would be slippage.

As both teams struggled to find a rhythm, it was a race to see who would adapt the fastest and take over the game. Houston began to find a flow and many of their players started getting to the basket, so what was the answer for BYU?

Enter Dybantsa and Robert Wright III.

The two stars combined for 30 of the 41 points that BYU scored in the first half, and the other 11 points didn’t even come until the last two minutes of the half. That’s right, through the first 17 minutes and 46 seconds of the game … Dybantsa and Wright were the only ones who had scored.

“You've just got to master physicality, master toughness,” said Dybantsa. “That's the only way you'll be in the game with them. If you lose those two battles you'll be down 20 in a heartbeat. Offensively we just have to play our game.”

Don't get the wrong idea, the other BYU players were not dead weight. In fact, the defensive effort that the team put up was crucial to the relentless battle that eventually led to having the lead going into halftime.

The second half was a much different story. Both teams, plagued by missed buckets and turnovers, struggled to score. Houston pulled away, and by the time BYU started closing the gap, it was too little too late.

“We fought hard,” said Wright III. “It was our third game in three days, like everyone said. They just won the boards at the end.”

While the third game didn’t end the way we would have wanted, there were a lot of questions about who this team is that were answered. Many people have asked, who will fill the role that Richie Saunders held? Can BYU play defense against high level opponents? Will the bench get more involved? What is the identity of this team?

The tournament showed that while there can’t ever be a true replacement for Saunders, there are players ready to step into a bigger role. Kennard Davis Jr., Aleksej Kostic, and Khadim Mboup showed that they have what it takes to fill in the gaps.

It wasn't without flaw, but the BYU defensive scheme showed both promise and player resilience. At the end of the three game stretch, BYU finished with +9 turnover margin, +1 blocks, and +33 in defensive rebounds to opponent offensive rebounds. We saw many bench players get involved this week with Mboup and Diomande setting the tone.

“It was actually a blessing that we got to play from the get go here the first two days and… continue to find ourselves,” said forward Jared McGregor. “We’re ready to go for the tournament now.”

Team Identity entering the NCAA Tournament

During the press conference after the loss to Houston, Young had plenty of praise for his team. He believes that they are in a much better position now than where they were only a few days ago.

“I think these guys have an inner belief in where they are as a team right now,” he said. “So I think we're extremely ready, and it makes me feel good, because as I told them in the locker room about two weeks ago, I was honestly not sure.”

Young himself said that this team has gone through many different changes this season and that team identity was a concern.

“This has been a season of, like, three different stories,” said Young. “I think it's a blessing that we were able to come here and play … it was important because we were still searching for this group's identity … and I'm really proud of where our team is at right now.”

Photo by Rodrigo Zarate

So what are some of BYU's defining traits heading into the NCAA Tournament?

Per KenPom.com, BYU is ranked an impressive 10th overall in offensive efficiency. The Cougars are also ranked well in effective field goal percentage and 2-point field goal percentage. Areas in need of improvement include turnovers forced defensively and 3-pointers allowed.

There will always be room for improvement, but if the Cougars can tighten up a little bit more on defense and maintain their offensive efficency, they will be a force to be reckoned with during March Madness.

As it stands, BYU is currently projected in Joe Lunardi's ESPN bracketology to be a No. 6 seed. Of the four first and second round tournament locations this year, (Buffalo, Greenville, Oklahoma City, and Portland) Lunardi has predicted that BYU would travel to Portland. Playing in Portland would be a small but important win for the Cougars as they would not have to travel as far, and the time zone difference wouldn't be as stark.

One thing that fans need to remember is that the Big 12 conference is one of, if not the most competitive and talented basketball conferences in the country. Playing against so many tough teams is no easy task, but pressure creates diamonds.

“I really feel fortunate to be in this league because I do think it prepares you literally for anything in the country,” said Young. “What prepares you most, is just the gauntlet of the Big 12. And I think when you can get through that and not sink … that in and of itself gives teams and coaches a lot of confidence heading into the tournament.”

Young knows how valuable it is to grow through the struggle. He said that the adversity has been rewarding because it has brought the team together. He knows that it’s a group of young guys, but more importantly, he knows that his team is ready.

“There's absolutely nothing like playing in March Madness ... even cooler for me than going to the NBA Finals,” said Young. “Disappointed in the outcome tonight, but we're looking forward to getting back home and getting some much-needed rest so we can gear up for what I've told these guys is the best time of the year in all of basketball.”