How High BYU Can Climb, or Fall, in the Big 12 Standings

The Cougars have two regular season games remaining

Feb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) talks with West Virginia Mountaineers center Harlan Obioha (55) after the game at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

The regular season is coming to an end for the BYU basketball program. After losing two games last week, the Cougars are looking to bounce back and go into the postseason with some momentum. As of Monday morning, the Cougars are 8-8 in league play and ninth in the league standings with two games to go.

Just when it looked like BYU turned a corner against Iowa State, the Cougars responded with their worst outing of the season against UCF. Then, another dreadful first half against WVU doomed BYU last Saturday in Morgantown in a close loss. Suddenly, all the momentum that BYU gained by beating the Cyclones is gone.

In this article, we'll look at how BYU could climb - or fall - in the Big 12 standings this week.

With a 2-0 Record

If BYU is going to earn a first-round bye in the Big 12 tournament, they likely need to go 2-0 this week. A 2-0 finish would put BYU at 10-8 in league play and, depending on the other results around the league, would give BYU either the 7-seed or the 8-seed in the conference tournament. At either the 7-seed or 8-seed, BYU would earn a bye in the first round of the Big 12 tournament. The top eight seeds get at least a first-round bye in the Big 12 tournament.

According to KenPom win probabilities, BYU has a 28% chance to go 2-0 this week.

With a 1-1 Record

A 1-1 record over the final week is the most likely outcome according to KenPom. There is a 50% chance that the Cougars will finish 1-1 and 9-9 in conference play. If BYU loses to Cincinnati and beats Texas Tech, the Cougars would be either the 9-seed or the 10-seed in the conference tournament depending on the outcome of the TCU-Cincinnati game.

If BYU beats Cincinnati and loses to Texas Tech, the Cougars could sneak their way into a first-round bye if Cincinnati beats TCU at home to close out the regular season. If the Bearcats don't beat TCU, BYU would be the 9-seed in the conference tournament.

With a 0-2 Record

If BYU goes 0-2 and ends the regular season on a four-game losing streak, the Cougars will likely be the 10-seed in the Big 12 tournament. In that scenario, BYU would likely take on 15-seed Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.

Using KenPom win probabilities, BYU has a 22% chance to go 0-2 this week.