BYU Basketball: Selection Sunday Preview

The Cougars will hear their name called for the first time since 2021

Author:
Casey Lundquist
Publish date:
Mar 17, 2024 10:52 AM EDT

It is Selection Sunday and BYU is a lock to be in the NCAA Tournament. It's not a matter of if BYU's name will be called, it's a matter of where they will be seeded and where they will play. This will be BYU's first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2021. Here's a preview of Selection Sunday from a BYU perspective.

The Seeding

30 of the best bracketologists on the internet updated their projections for BYU on Sunday morning. All 30 have BYU as a 5-seed. There are a few games on Sunday that could potentially impact BYU's seeding, but it sure looks like BYU is a lock to be a 5-seed as of Sunday morning.

Watch out for Florida. The Gators have been on a run this week and are playing in the SEC championship on Sunday. With a win, Florida could leapfrog BYU and potentially cause some disruption to BYU's seeding.

The Opponent

If BYU is a 5-seed, they would face a 12-seed in the first round. Projected 12-seeds, as of Sunday morning, include the likes of Grand Canyon, UAB, VCU, and McNeese State. Other teams that could fall to a 12-seed include James Madison, NC State, Yale, and Samford. If NC State is a 12-seed, they can't face BYU in the first round since those two teams already faced each other in the regular season.

The Location

When BYU's name is called, a lot of fans will be paying as much attention to the location as the opponent. Salt Lake City is one of four host sites where BYU could play in the first two rounds. Omaha, Charlotte, and Pittsburgh are the other three potential destinations.

If BYU ends up in Salt Lake City, their chances of going on a run would increase substantially.