Facing Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA Tournament will be a daunting task, but it’s something the Cougars played 22 conference games to get ready for. As a second-year resident in the Big 12, BYU endured the refiner’s fire and came out red hot.
When No. 14 Houston beat them 86-55 on Jan. 4, BYU was exposed to a heightened physicality that is required to perform at an elite level.
Texas Tech stunned the Cougars in Provo 72-67 three days later — showing BYU how fundamentals always matter, even at home.
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During No. 20 Arizona’s 85-74 victory at the Marriott Center on Feb. 4, the Wildcats educated the Cougars on free-throw shooting, making 15 of 17 attempts.
Four days later, in an 84-66 loss at Cincinnati, the Bearcats staged a seminar on rebounding (32-17) and defense, holding BYU to 10 of 29 from the 3-point line.
With lessons learned from those painful midterm exams, the Cougars turned a corner.
BYU routed No. 23 Kansas 91-57 on Feb. 18 — physically beating the Jayhawks in every phase of the game.
Four days later, the Cougars went to Tucson and proved they could win a shootout on the road — stunning No. 19 Arizona 96-95 and scoring the most points allowed by an opponent in the McKale Center since 2009.
A week later, BYU traveled to No. 10 Iowa State and beat the Cyclones 88-85 in double overtime. The 88 points were the most Iowa State’s top-10 defense had allowed all season — up until the Cyclones surrendered 96 to the Cougars a week later in the Big 12 Tournament.
The finishing touch on BYU’s preparation for Saturday’s game against Wisconsin was a 20-point beatdown by No. 2 Houston in the Big 12 semifinals. As high as BYU was flying on a nine-game winning streak, Houston, like a big brother, provided a refresher course on the toughness and grit needed to win in the NCAA Tournament.
All those years in the WAC, Mountain West and WCC did little to prepare BYU to beat a team like Wisconsin. The Cougars’ last win against a power program in the Big Dance was against Florida in 2010. Before that, there was a 1991 victory against Virginia, which came 10 years after BYU’s 1981 run to the Elite Eight, including wins against UCLA and Notre Dame.
That’s four power conference wins in the NCAA Tournament in 44 years. This year’s BYU team has 14 power wins since New Year’s Eve. They are built differently; they are coached differently; and they have been prepared differently.
Wisconsin, the fourth-place finisher out of the 18-team Big Ten (27-9) has size, speed and plenty of shooters. Historically, those have been deadly ingredients for BYU in the postseason — but not anymore.
The Cougars, who tied for third in the 16-team Big 12 (25-9), can counter with their own size, speed and shooters and come from a league that has prepared them to go toe-to-toe with the Badgers and contend for a trip to the Sweet 16.
If BYU can beat Kansas by 34, win at Arizona and take down Iowa State twice in nine days, they have what it takes to look Wisconsin right in the eyes and beat them on a neutral floor.
That’s what a Big 12 education can do.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.
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