BYU (21-7, 10-3 West Coast) jumped several spots into the AP Top 25, coming in at No. 23 in Monday’s latest poll. The Cougars are only the second West Coast Conference team in the Top 25, joining No. 2 Gonzaga — which comes to Provo for an 8 p.m. MST tipoff Saturday in the Cougars’ regular-season home finale.
BYU received 188 votes, slotting in between No. 22 Houston (237) and No. 24 Arizona (102). Utah State earned eight votes in the poll from Week 16, which ranks 11 spots outside the top 25.
Other regional teams of note at this point in the season has Boise State (17-10), Utah is (14-11) and the Wyoming Cowboys sitting at (6-20).
BYU was also helped by surroundings. Seven teams ranked just ahead of the Cougars lost this past weekend, including formerly No. 25 Michigan State, which fell 67-60 to No. 9 Maryland; then-No. 24 Texas Tech, which lost to unranked Oklahoma State 73-70; and No. 22 Illinois, which was blown out 72-57 at Rutgers.
That left just enough room for the Cougars to squeeze into its first AP Top 25 berth since finishing No. 10 in the final poll of the 2010-11 season.
Week 16 College Basketball: AP Top 25
1- Baylor (23-1)
2- Gonzaga (26-1)
3- Kansas (22-3)
4- San Diego State (26-0)
5- Dayton (23-2)
6- Duke (22-3)
7- Maryland (21-4)
8- Florida State (21-4)
9- Penn State (20-5)
10- Kentucky (20-5)
11- Louisville (21-5)
12- Villanova (19-6)
13- Auburn (22-3)
14- Oregon (20-6)
15- Creighton (20-6)
16- Seton Hall (18-7)
17- West Virginia (18-7)
18- Colorado (20-6)
19- Marquette (17-7)
20- Iowa (18-8)
21- Butler (19-7)
22- Houston (20-6)
23- BYU (21-7)
24- Arizona (18-7)
25- Ohio State (17-8)
