Utah State Leap Frogs BYU In Latest AP Top 25 Rankings
Mar 11, 2024, 11:46 AM
LOGAN, UT - FEBRUARY 6: Darius Brown II #10 of the Utah State Aggies pressures Jarod Lucas #2 of the Nevada Wolf Pack during the second half of their game at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on February 6, 2024 in Logan, Utah.
SALT LAKE CITY— Utah State’s dramatic win over New Mexico clinched the outright Mountain West regular season championship for the first time and vaulted the Aggies over BYU in the final regular season Top 25 poll of 2024.
BYU remains No. 20 in the latest poll.
POLL ALERT: North Carolina jumps three spots to No. 4, Kentucky up six spots to No. 9 in AP Top 25; Houston, UConn, Purdue remain 1-2-3. https://t.co/WrYQyxgzlp pic.twitter.com/8OEbE8TmQ1
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) March 11, 2024
BYU split its final two regular-season games over the past week. The Cougars squandered a 14-point second half to then No. 6 Iowa State in Ames. Iowa State stormed back to escape with a 68-63 victory.
BYU closed the regular season three days later with a blowout 85-71 win over Oklahoma State at the Marriott Center.
It’s the 15th week this season that BYU has been ranked in the AP Top 25. The 2024 squad joins BYU’s 1980 team with the third-most appearances in the AP Top 25 in a given year.
THIS WEEK🗓️ pic.twitter.com/OV2LduLlj4
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 11, 2024
Utah State put the final touches on a remarkable season by defeating San Jose State on the road, then holding off New Mexico in Logan to clinch the outright Mountain West Conference regular season championship.
This is Utah State’s eighth week in the AP Top 25 poll this season. They rank third all-time in Utah State history for most AP Top 25 appearances in a season.
Looking ahead
Both BYU and Utah State turn the page to the postseason.
BYU will take the court first on Wednesday morning when it debuts in the Big 12 Tournament. The Cougars earned the 5-seed in the 14-team field, exceeding the low ranking of 13th that the Big 12 coaches gave them in the preseason.
BYU’s Big 12 Tournament opener will be against the UCF Knights or Oklahoma State Cowboys. Tip-off is at 10:30 a.m. (MT) on ESPN2 and KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM).
Moving on up 📈
🔗 https://t.co/inHj9UCFGA#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/JsTdTiTOD0
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) March 11, 2024
Utah State holds the No. 1 seed in the 11-team Mountain West Conference Tournament. The Aggies will face Wyoming or Fresno State Thursday morning at the Thomas & Mack Center.
Tip-off for Utah State’s Quarterfinal matchup in the MWC Tournament is at 1 p.m. (MT) on CBS Sports Network and the KSL Sports Zone (97.5 FM, 1280 AM).
AP Top 25: Where are BYU and Utah State ranked?
Week of March 11, 2024
1. Houston (28-3)
2. UConn (28-3)
3. Purdue (28-3)
4. North Carolina (25-6)
5. Tennessee (24-7)
6. Arizona (24-7)
7. Iowa State (24-7)
8. Creighton (23-8)
9. Kentucky (23-8)
10. Marquette (23-8)
11. Duke (24-7)
12. Auburn (24-7)
13. Illinois (23-8)
14. Baylor (22-9)
15. South Carolina (22-9)
16. Kansas (22-9)
17. Gonzaga (24-6)
18. Utah State (26-5)
19. Alabama (21-10)
20. BYU (22-9)
21. Saint Mary’s (24-7)
22. Washington State (23-8)
23. Nevada (26-6)
24. Dayton (24-6)
25. Texas Tech (22-9)
Others receiving votes: Boise St. 46, South Florida 27, San Diego St. 21, Drake 16, Texas 14, James Madison 14, FAU 11, Florida 8, Princeton 7, Nebraska 6, New Mexico 4, Colorado 2, McNeese St. 2, Colorado St. 1, Wake Forest 1, Indiana St 1.
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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.
