Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and man, a lot of people in this tight basketball circle want both what BYU is building and has on the way. The Cougars outlasted 3-seed Wisconsin in a 91-89 thriller to advance to next week’s Sweet 16. A second-weekend appearance has happened just one other time (2011) for this sports-loving, BYU program since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1985.
Remarkable things are simmering for coach Kevin Young, who is already taking the program to a zip code it isn’t used to. BYU’s pot of NIL money is a story. Inking the breathtaking AJ Dybantsa is another one. But the story might be Young, who looks more and more like a rockstar by the day.
The former hotshot NBA assistant was in his bag all weekend, steering BYU through a Selection Sunday draw that looked vicious. Young carved up VCU’s No. 1-rated halfcourt defense to the tune of a sizzling 1.23 points per possession. It was the first time all year someone cracked 80 points against the Rams. Less than 48 hours later, BYU again posted an untouched offensive bonanza.
Young is the driving force. The face of the franchise, so to speak, maybe until Dybantsa strolls into town for a one-year stay. He’s built an army of locked-in staffers with the sole pursuit of bringing pros and championships to Provo. The formula of an elite halfcourt offense combined with outstanding rim protection carried UConn to the National Championship last year. This season, there are just three teams in college basketball that rank inside the top 35 nationally in both halfcourt offense and rim defense. UConn (duh), Duke (obviously) and … BYU.
This isn’t a fluke, and what Young has helped build at BYU feels sustainable.
“I think the emotion just stems from how happy I am for all of our players and everyone that supports BYU,” Young said. “You look up in there, and you see that much support, it’s really just gratifying to be able to lead this team for everyone that supports it.”
Could college basketball’s next budding dynasty reside in Provo, with Young cementing himself as one of the best coaches in the country? It may be a bit too early for that hyperbole, but the rapid rate of improvement for this group makes you wonder if there’s something in Young’s secret sauce.
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His well-made offseason plans are finally coming together at just the right time. Richie Saunders, who could have easily followed Mark Pope to Kentucky, chose to stick around and was rewarded with a career-best season, including a thrilling 25-point effort against the Badgers. Potential lottery pick Egor Demin, who has had a rocky freshman season, has looked way more assertive on the big stage. A confident Demin changes the calculus for these Cougs. The Russian sensation flirted with a triple-double (11 points, eight rebounds, eight assists) in just his second NCAA Tournament game.
It’s remarkable how the same team that got boat-raced by a bad Providence team in early December and 30-pieced by a phenomenal Houston team in early January has evolved into this. The Cougars will head into the Sweet 16 as one of the hottest teams in America, winners of 11 of 12, and believers that they can beat anybody. Alabama? Bring it. Saint Mary’s? Check it up. Duke or a rematch with budding hated rival Arizona could await with a berth in the Final Four on the line next week.Â
“Words can’t really describe it,” Saunders said. “I felt like I’ve loved playing with this group. Like we’ve been together with some great additions, but there was a lot of us my freshman year taking some bad losses, and it’s crazy just to think about how we’ve stuck together as a team. We just chose to keep moving forward. And to see where we are and the opportunities ahead is just amazing.”
Maybe the NBA comes beckoning again for Young down the road, but BYU will cross that bridge when it gets there. This team believes it has four more wins in ’em. This program believes it’s only getting started.
