The BYU Cougars are a team capable of going on a deep NCAA Tournament run, and they once again proved why in their first-round game against 11-seed VCU on Thursday.
Led by junior Richie Saunders and freshman Egor Demin, the Cougars took a 39-28 lead into the break and never surrendered the lead the rest of the way. BYU won the game, 80-71, and did so with an efficient offense that shot 50% from the floor. The Cougars are 23rd in the nation in that stat (48.2%) this season, so a hot shooting performance against the Rams should have been expected going into the contest and will be the driving force behind a lengthy tournament run, assuming the Cougars can keep the momentum going.
Unlike the 5-seed Clemson, who fell victim to a shocking upset from the 12-seed McNeese State earlier in the day, BYU overcame suffering the same fate for a second consecutive season after losing to 11-seed Duquesne last season. While VCU heads home after failing to pull the upset, BYU advances to the second round for the first time since 2021, when it lost to the 11-seed UCLA. Here is who BYU will play next and how its current tournament outlook stands after Thursday's first-round win.
Who does BYU play next after first-round win over VCU?
With the win over VCU, the Cougars advance to the second round to face the 3-seed Wisconsin in the East region. Although BYU has a 15-34 all-time record in 31 prior NCAA Tournament appearances and has not won a tournament game since 2021, this team is different. Before a loss to Houston in the Big 12 semifinals, BYU had won nine in a row and could not be slowed down. The Cougars also have eight Quad 1 wins, proving they can beat some of the best teams in the country.
Wisconsin has been rock solid this year led by senior John Tonje's 19.2 points per game, but a mediocre average on the boards (36.51 RPG, 115th in the country) leaves the door open for BYU to pull the upset and advance to the Sweet 16, which the Cougars have not accomplished since 2011. Wisconsin also shoots just 34.9% from long range, which should bode well for a high-scoring BYU team that is plenty capable of putting up numbers.
BYU-Wisconsin matchup history
As the two teams prepare for what should be an up-and-down affair in the second round on Saturday, it will only be the third all-time meeting between the programs and the first time they have faced off since 2011. The first meeting between BYU and Wisconsin - a 32-16 win by the Badgers - took place in 1931.
In that most recent meeting in 2011, the Cougars fell 73-56, leaving the program in search of its first win against Wisconsin when the teams square off on Saturday. If Wisconsin is unable to keep pace with the high-octane offense BYU presents and get the Cougars out of their rhythm early, BYU could be in line to pick up its first win over the Badgers and advance to the Sweet 16.