BYU Basketball is a Trendy Pick to Make a Deep Run in the NCAA Tournament

Casey Lundquist | Mar 17, 2025

Mar 13, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Brigham Young Cougars center Keba Keita (13) reacts after a play during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images

When the NCAA Tournament bracket was unveiled on Sunday afternoon, CBS analyst Seth Davis said BYU "has enough" to make it to the Elite Eight. It turns out Davis wasn't the only one that felt that way. Now that national analysts have had some time to digest the bracket, BYU has become a trendy pick to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

ESPN analyst Jeff Borzello picked BYU to beat 11-seed VCU, 3-seed Wisconsin, and 2-seed Alabama to advance to the Elite Eight where they would face 1-seed Duke. Borzello picked Duke to beat BYU and advance to the Final Four.

College basketball analyst Andy Katz made very similar picks, selecting the Cougars to go all the way to the Elite Eight before getting eliminated by Duke. In Katz' projections, BYU would need to beat VCU, Wisconsin, and Alabama to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Field of 68 founder Rob Dauster picked BYU to advance to the Elite Eight as well. "Here's my hot take," Dauster said. "I think BYU is going to be in the Elite Eight this year."

Super Bowl champion Cooper Dejean also picked BYU to advance to the Elite Eight before getting knocked out by 1-seed Duke.

Over the last month, BYU has proven capable of going on an extended winning streak even when facing NCAA Tournament teams. However, there is a certain level of history that BYU will have to overcome to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

BYU has not advanced past the round of 64 since 2011 when Jimmer Fredette was putting the college basketball world on notice. As a program, BYU has only advanced to the Elite Eight once.

If BYU is going to make a run, they will have to shoot well from the three-point line and limit turnovers. If they fail to do those two things, they are vulnerable to be a first-round exit. If BYU starts to click offensively, there are very few teams in the field that BYU can't beat.