Will BYU make the NCAA Tournament? Exploring HC Kevin Young and Co.'s March Madness chances

Kevin Young has placed BYU at the forefront of the Big 12 despite being in his first stint as coach of a basketball team. Young, who served as associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns from 2021-24, was chosen to replace former Cougars bench tactician Mark Pope, who left the school to take the coaching vacancy at Kentucky.

BYU (19-8, 10-6) is fifth in the Big 12, one game ahead of former No. 1-ranked Kansas. The team has won eight of its last 10 games since starting the Big 12 regular season at 2-4.

The victories include an overtime win over Baylor, a 34-point stunner against Kansas and a one-point squeaker over Arizona on Saturday. The Cougars are closing in on their second consecutive NCAA Tournament, and their status in all three ranking classifications proves it.

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Balanced scoring puts BYU in contention

BYU coach Kevin Young has made sure that every player contributes to the team's cause. As a result, nine players are averaging at least 6.0 points per contest, giving rival teams headaches on who to guard each game.

Richie Saunders leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.5 points per game, and Egor Demin is the second Cougars player in double figures at 10.9 ppg. However, the team's strength lies in the equal distribution of wealth in offense.

Trevin Knell, Fousseyni Traore and Kanon Catchings have averaged at least 8.1 ppg to support Saunders and Demin in scoring. BYU has tallied 80.8 points per game and shot 48.5% from the field during the season.

Keiba Keita, Dallin Hall and Mawot Mag had also shown flashes of brilliance for Kevin Young's men. They bought into their coach's philosophy and have produced great games for BYU's cause.

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BYU is in the Top 30 of NET, KenPom rankings but falls to 54th in RPI

BYU is in the upper 10% of the NET and KenPom rankings as of Feb. 23, but it is in 54th place when it comes to RPI. The Cougars occupy the No. 29 spot in the NET rankings due to their combined 15-1 record against Quadrant 2, 3 and 4 teams. On the flip side, Kevin Young's team is 4-7 against Quadrant 1 squads and ranked 35th in terms of wins above the bubble.

Meanwhile, BYU is ranked 27th in KenPom with an adjusted efficiency margin of +21.41. The Cougars are in 12th spot in adjusted offensive efficiency at 123.2 points per game per 100 possessions but are 69th in adjusted defensive efficiency at 101.8 ppg/100 possessions. Their adjusted tempo (possessions per 40 minutes) ranks 205th at 67.0, while their luck rating is +.001 (180th).

In terms of strength of schedule, BYU has an overall strength of schedule rating of 8.83 (55th). It has a 111.5 average adjusted offensive efficiency of opposing teams and a 102.7 average defensive efficiency of opposing teams. The Cougars are ranked 346th in non-conference strength of schedule rating at -7.35.

The RPI rankings aren't kind for BYU, as it is 54th with a .571 rating. However, that's 12 places up from last week's 66th spot. The Cougars peaked at 10th place and fell to as low as 353rd during the regular season.

Kevin Young's team still has four games remaining in the Big 12 regular season. BYU must finish strong to get a better seeding in the Big 12 tournament and possibly the NCAA Tournament.