With matching records, BYU and West Virginia sit squarely in the middle of the Big 12 standings, as their hopes of gaining an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament hinge on how they finish the regular season.
When the teams face off Tuesday in Morgantown, W.Va., for the first of two meetings in a span of 19 days, pressure will be on the Cougars (15-8, 6-6) and the Mountaineers (15-8, 6-6) as they are among those jostling for position near the NCAA Tournament bubble.
In the NET rankings, which have taken on increased visibility as a tournament selection tool, West Virginia and BYU opened the week slotted at Nos. 38 and 41, respectively.
BYU enters after losing two straight, including an 84-66 implosion at Cincinnati on Saturday. The Cougars were in the lead early in the second half before surrendering an 18-0 run.
Cincinnati dominated the glass 32-17 and worked for 16 second-chance points compared to zero for BYU. The Cougars’ starting five combined for just seven rebounds and was 3 of 15 from 3-point range.
“It was a disappointing effort by our (first) group in the second half, for sure,” BYU coach Kevin Young said.
It also was a deflating result considering the Cougars waxed the Bearcats at home, 80-52, just two weeks earlier.
BYU looks to regroup behind Richie Saunders (15.1 points per game) and Egor Demin (11.1 points, 5.6 assists), who is projected to be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-9 point guard will have an interesting matchup Tuesday with West Virginia’s Javon Small, the Big 12 scoring leader at 18.9 points per game.
The Mountaineers got uncharacteristically balanced scoring Saturday in a 72-61 win over Utah as Amani Hansberry contributed 17 points while Small and Joseph Yesufu added 14 apiece.
Afterward, coach Darian DeVries cited help from West Virginia fans.
“That’s what I love about what we have here,” DeVries said. “It’s sold out, but they’re not just watching the game. They’re helping us out and that’s critical in this league.”
BYU overcame the West Virginia crowd last year as Fousseyni Traore, who has struggled this season, delivered 24 points and nine rebounds in an 86-73 win.
