PROVO, Utah – Fresh off one of their best victories this season, BYU basketball is moving up in bracketology projections.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has BYU checking in as an 8-seed in his latest field of 68 projection. That’s a one spot increase from the nine-seed he had for the 15-4 Cougars a week ago.

BUILT DIFFERENT 😤 pic.twitter.com/vNNidOZBe8

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 16, 2022

The jump comes courtesy of BYU bouncing back from a 10-point deficit on the road at San Francisco. BYU’s win over the Dons is BYU’s lone “Quad One” victory to date this season. The NCAA Selection Committee views teams based on “quadrants,” which are ranked according to the daily NET rankings provided by the NCAA.

BYU is currently No. 26 in the latest NET rankings and has put together a record of 7-4 against teams that fall under the Quad One and Quad Two metrics currently.

BYU basketball moving up Bracketology predictions

The eight-seed forecasted by Joey Brackets falls in line with many Bracketologists out there. According to the Bracket Matrix (an aggregate of Bracketology projections), BYU projects as an eight-seed for this March. With bracketologists ranking BYU as high as a five-seed, all the way down to an 11-seed.

#BYU’s @AlexBarcello23 🏃‍♂️💨 #BYUHoops #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/gF34cvBC2M

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 16, 2022

Lunardi’s projected first-round matchup for BYU is 9-seed Indiana from the Big Ten Conference. BYU’s quadrant includes defending National Champion and future Big 12 rival Baylor as the No. 1 seed.

Four bid WCC?

While Saturday’s game was a celebratory one for BYU, it was heartbreak for the Dons as it was a missed opportunity to get another Quad One victory on their NCAA Tournament resume. USF hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 1998.

Despite losing to BYU, San Francisco still slides into the field with a 10-seed. Along with BYU and USF, two other WCC teams appear in Lunardi’s bracket, with Gonzaga being the second-ranked No. 1 seed and Saint Mary’s earning a 10-seed.

The West Coast Conference has never placed four teams in the NCAA Tournament.

BYU basketball returns to action this weekend for a pair of home games at the Marriott Center, starting with a Thursday tilt against San Diego, then Portland on Saturday night.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.

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