Cougs Daily

BYU vs UCF is a Battle of Two Bubble Teams Fighting for NCAA Tournament Positioning

Casey Lundquist

Mar 13, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Richie Saunders (15) and UCF Knights guard Shemarri Allen (2) collide under the basket during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Mar 13, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Brigham Young Cougars guard Richie Saunders (15) and UCF Knights guard Shemarri Allen (2) collide under the basket during the second half at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images
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On Saturday afternoon, Kevin Young and the BYU basketball program hit the road to take on the UCF Knights. A win over UCF would give BYU four consecutive wins in Big 12 play, the longest conference win streak since BYU joined the Big 12. BYU-UCF will be a battle of two bubble teams and could have major postseason implications by season's end.

Going into this game, UCF is the last team in according to Joe Lunardi. BYU is just three spots behind UCF and is one of the First Four Out. A road win over UCF would likely push BYU into the field of 68 before they get set to host the Arizona Wildcats on Tuesday in Provo.

In Lunardi's latest projection, UCF would play New Mexico in the First Four round. The winner of New Mexico-UCF would advance to take on no. 6 Maryland in the round of 64.

A loss against UCF wouldn't knock BYU out of the tournament conversation, but it would make upcoming games against Arizona and Cincinnati all the more important. If BYU can go 2-1 over the next three games, they will likely be on the right side of the bubble conversation.

A win over UCF would give BYU more margin for error over the next couple weeks.

How to Watch BYU Basketball vs UCF

Matchup
Cougars
14-6
Knights
13-7
2/1/20252:00 PM MSTESPN+

This game is only available on ESPN+. ESPN+ requires a separate subscription from cable.

Time: 2:00 PM Mountain Time
Channel: ESPN+
Radio: BYU Radio, KSL Radio 102.7 FM & 1160 AM

Game Information

BYU (14-6) vs UCF (13-7)
Financial Arena
Orlando, Florida

Published |Modified
Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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