Bracketology Forecasts Have BYU Trending Up Entering March
Mar 1, 2024, 6:45 PM
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball is climbing in the latest batch of bracketology projections for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
Earning a win on the road against a college basketball blueblood like Kansas will do that for a team.
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Bracketologists looked kindly on BYU’s win at Allen Fieldhouse. Instead of a six or seven-seed, BYU is trending towards being a team in Salt Lake City with a five-seed.
Here’s a roundup of the latest bracketology forecasts.
ESPN/Joe Lunardi: 5-seed vs. Grand Canyon in Salt Lake City
If BYU lands this setup, you would have to like their chances of getting to the Sweet 16. Landing a mid-major in round one, a venue that’s only 45 minutes away from their home campus, and a building they have won 18 of their last 19 games.
Playing in the Delta Center would be filled with BYU fans.
There have been examples where a team plays close to its home campus. Wisconsin played their first and second-round games in Milwaukee two years ago.
So it happens. The odds of landing in SLC for BYU are a 25% chance because they can’t play in any of the Friday/Sunday quadrants. Other venues BYU could play at are Omaha, Nebraska; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Charlotte, North Carolina.
CBS: 6-seed vs. Princeton in Salt Lake City
Jerry Palm was set on a 7-seed for BYU for weeks. After the Kansas win, he bumped them up a seed line.
The last time BYU played Princeton was in 2017 at Princeton’s home court. BYU won that game, 65-56.
TeamRankings: 4-seed
BYU is the lowest-rated four-seed in the TeamRankings bracketology. The projection gives BYU a 96% chance of receiving an NCAA Tournament bid in 2024.
Haslam Metrics: 4-seed
Another bracketology projection that has BYU jumping up a seed line after the Kansas win. Based on the Haslametrics bracketology, BYU would line up against Vermont from the America East Conference. The last time BYU played the Catamounts was in a homecoming game for Jimmer Fredette in Glens Falls, New York, during his senior season.
Heat Check CBB: 5-seed vs. Appalachian State
Lukas Harkins is one of the top bracketologists in the game. He’s stayed consistent for weeks that BYU is a 5-seed in his bracketology.
FOX Sports: 5-seed vs. Grand Canyon
This bracketology projection doesn’t list what city they have this matchup played at. But what’s notable is the 4-seed is Kentucky. Can you imagine if BYU was a 5-seed in Salt Lake City and Kentucky was the 4-seed? I can only assume that Kentucky coach John Calipari wouldn’t be happy about that.
Blogging the Bracket: 5-seed vs. South Florida in Salt Lake City
Another bracket that has BYU in Salt Lake City. Blogging the Bracket bumped BYU up two seed lines after the Kansas win. They previously had BYU at a 7-seed for a couple of weeks.
Looking at where BYU’s opponents land in Bracketology
Nine of BYU’s opponents on the 2023-24 schedule land in the composite compiled by the Bracket Matrix. Here’s where those teams land entering the weekend.
- Houston – 1-seed
- Kansas – 2-seed
- Baylor – 3-seed
- Iowa State – 3-seed
- San Diego State – 4-seed
- Texas Tech – 7-seed
- Oklahoma – 8-seed
- TCU – 8-seed
- Texas – 9-seed
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
