What the coach and sixth-year player didn’t say was that sixth-seeded BYU was perhaps underseeded this year amid some hopes that it would land a 5 seed. That’s good, because the selection committee got it mostly right for one of the rare times when the Cougars are involved.

BYU is led by Richie Saunders, a junior guard who has morphed into a fringe NBA prospect this year. It also has Dallin Hall, a veteran guard coming off the bench who stabilizes the Cougars’ offense and finishes games.

The Cougars outlasted the Cyclones 96-92 in a wild Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal contest Thursday and will advance to a semifinal game against Houston or Colorado on Friday. Earlier, BYU survived an overtime battle in Ames. The victories have been part of the Cougars’ nine-game winning streak.

Houston drilled BYU at the Fertitta Center. But lately, the Cougars from Provo have been just as hot as the Cougars who won the regular-season Big 12 Conference championship. And now, two sets of Cougars put their long winning streaks on the line in Friday night's Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship semifinal at Kansas City.

Houston faces BYU in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals on Friday, March 14, 2025, at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

A wild week of Big 12 Tournament action in Kansas City that began with 16 teams and has featured 14 games across four days leaves us with two contenders standing: No. 1 seed Houston and No. 3 seed Arizona.