BYU men’s March Madness results: Tournament bracket predictions and more

Get ready for the madness! We're more than halfway through March, but the most glorious time of the year for sports fans has officially kicked off with Selection Sunday now behind us.

The BYU Cougars are hungry for some action in the NCAA tournament, and 2024 was their best chance to do some damage in a while. Luckily, the Cougars will not miss out on the tournament this time around! They've been named a No. 6-seed and will face Duquesne in the Round of 64. BYU had failed to qualify for March Madness in six of the last seven full seasons, and they haven't won a game in the Round of 64 in over a decade.

BYU had won four of their last six games prior to the Big 12 tournament, which included wins over ranked teams like Kansas and Baylor. Despite failing to secure a tournament bid with a loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Tournament, BYU was practically guaranteed to earn an at-large bid. Here's everything to know about the BYU Cougars men's basketball team as Selection Sunday's bracket reveal wraps up.

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Latest bracketology and predictions

Clark Kellogg: Purdue, UConn, Kentucky, and UNC to reach Final Four. UConn over Purdue in the final.

Seth Davis: UConn, Arizona, Houston, Purdue to reach Final Four. UConn over Houston in the final.

Jay Wright: UConn, Arizona, Houston, Purdue in the Final Four. UConn beating Houston in the final.

BYU March Madness seeding and opponent

The BYU Cougars are officially the 6-seed in the East Region. Their first round opponent will be Atlantic 10 Conference champions, the 11-seeded Duquesne Dukes.

March Madness 2024: West Region Bracket

• No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Howard/Wagner (determined during First Four)

• No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Michigan State

• No. 5 Saint Mary's vs. No. 12 Grand Canyon

• No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Charleston

• No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 New Mexico

• No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Colgate

• No. 7 Dayton vs. No. 10 Nevada

• No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 15 Long Beach State

March Madness 2024: Midwest Region Bracket

• No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 16 Montana State/Grambling State (determined during First Four)

• No. 8 Utah State vs. No. 9 TCU

• No. 5 Gonzaga vs. No. 12 McNeese

• No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 Samford

• No. 6 South Carolina vs. No. 11 Oregon

• No. 3 Creighton vs. No. 14 Akron

• No. 7 Texas vs. No. 10 Virginia/Colorado State (determined during First Four)

• No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Saint Peter's

When will BYU play?

BYU's game against Duquesne will take place on Thursday, March 21.

March Madness 2024: South Region Bracket

• No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 Longwood

• No. 8 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Texas A&M

• No. 5 Wisconsin vs. No. 12 James Madison

• No. 4 Duke vs. No. 13 Vermont

• No. 6 Texas Tech vs. No. 11 NC State

• No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Oakland

• No. 7 Florida vs. No. 10 Boise State/Colorado (determined during the First Four)

• No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 15 Western Kentucky

March Madness 2024: East Region Bracket

• No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 Stetson

• No. 8 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 9 Northwestern

• No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 12 UAB

• No. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Yale

• No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 Duquesne

• No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Morehead State

• No. 7 Washington State vs. No. 10 Drake

• No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 South Dakota

What seed is BYU?

BYU was named the 6-seed in the East Region. They will play the Atlantic-10 Conference champions, the No. 11 Duquesne Dukes. The top seed in the East Region is the No. 1 overall seed and defending NCAA champions, the UConn Huskies.

Should the Cougars win their first round matchup, they will face the winner of No. 3 Illinois and No. 14 Morehead State.

When is Selection Sunday?

Shockingly, Selection Sunday takes place on a Sunday, this Sunday, March 17. The reveal show begins at 6 p.m. ET on CBS or stream the show on Fubo.

How to watch: Stream Selection Sunday with Fubo

When does the actual March Madness tournament start?

The First Four will begin on Tuesday, March 19 and end on Wednesday, March 20. The Round of 64 begins immediately afterwards on Thursday, March 21.

Where does BYU stand heading into Selection Sunday?

The Cougars are a near lock for a spot in the 68-team March Madness tournament, given that they'd been ranked inside the top-25 for most of the season.

Prior to the Big 12 tournament, the Cougars were ranked No. 21 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. The team did take a tumble after losing to No. 23 Texas Tech in the Big 12 quarterfinals though.

With solid wins over teams like Kansas, Baylor, San Diego State, and Iowa State throughout the season, it would be shocking if BYU did not earn a spot in this year's March Madness tournament.

BYU March Madness seeding predictions

Andy Katz, NCAA bracketologist: No. 5 seed

Joe Lunardi, ESPN: No. 5 seed

Bill Bender, The Sporting News: No. 5 seed

Bender writes, "In the last three weeks, the Cougars have piled up victories against Kansas and Baylor, but they also have losses to Oklahoma State and Kansas State. That’s why this line feels right despite Wednesday's loss to Iowa State.”

Big 12 Championship Results

After their loss to Texas Tech, the BYU Cougars had to watch the Big 12 championship from home as the Houston Cougars loss just their fifth game all season to the No. 2 seed Iowa State Cyclones, 69-41. The Cyclones’ Keshon Gilbert was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and Milan Momcilovic had 18 points to lead the Cyclones in scoring for the championship game.

BYU players to know

The BYU men’s basketball team is very deep with seven players averaging at least nine points per game: Jaxson Robinson (13.7), Trevin Knell (11.1), Fousseyni Traore (10.8), Spencer Johnson (10.4), Richie Saunders (9.8), Noah Waterman (9.7), Dallin Hall (9.2).

Knell is arguably the team’s best shooter from deep, hitting just under 40 percent of his shots from beyond the arc (39.9).

BYU’s leading rebounder is surprisingly a guard, Spencer Johnson (5.9 per game), while the team’s leading helper is Hall, who averages five assists per game in just 28.9 minutes. Arguably more impressive though, is the team’s second-leading helper. Big man Aly Khalifa averages 4.2 assists per game in just 20 minutes, and he does it all while standing at 6-foot-11.

What are KenPom rankings?

As we approach the Selection Sunday show, various rankings will be thrown out. Most are straightforward, such as offensive ranking, defensive ranking, Coaches Poll ranking, etc. However, KenPom rankings are a much different, and often misunderstood ranking.

The brainchild of now-writer for The Athletic Ken Pomeroy, KenPom rankings are meant to be an objective ranking of Division I men’s basketball programs based on specific efficiency metrics. These metrics help determine how each team will fare in each game based on their opponents.

The KenPom ranking takes seven different statistics into account for each team:

• Adjusted Efficiency Margin (AdjEM)

• Adjusted Offensive Efficiency (AdjO)

• Adjusted Defensive Efficiency (AdjD)

• Adjusted Tempo (AdjT)

• Luck rating (Luck)

• Strength of schedule

• Non-conference strength of schedule

These advanced statistics are then compared to every other team in the nation and are used to make supposedly more precise rankings that help determine a team’s viability for a deep NCAA Tournament run. As is the case with any statistic though, KenPom does not tell the whole story, and should not be the sole analysis anyone uses when creating their brackets.

BYU 2023-24 highlights

What is BYU's March Madness history?

BYU has appeared in the March Madness tournament 29 times with their first appearance coming in 1950. Unfortunately though, the Cougars have only reached the second round of the tournament nine times in their history, most recently in 2011. BYU has never reached the Final Four and has only reached the Elite Eight three times (1950, 1951, 1981). Of course, each of these appearances came before the modern 64-team tournament came to be in 1985. In 1950, there were only eight teams in the tournament, and in 1951, there were just 16.

How are NCAA Tournament bids determined?

32 of the tournament's 68 spots are given to teams that won their respective conference tournaments.

The other 36 bids fall into the “at-large” category, and are selected by the NCAA Division I men's basketball committee, per the NCAA's website. According to the NCAA, "there is no limit on the number of at-large teams the committee may select from one conference." This year alone, there may be six teams from the non-Power 5 Mountain West conference.

How are March Madness seeds determined?

Similar to the at-large bids, March Madness seeds are determined by the NCAA Division I men's basketball committee. The NCAA’s website details the standards that their committee uses to help determine their seedings, including an anonymous ballot for the committee’s votes.

How can I watch March Madness?

First Four: TruTV

First and Second Rounds: CBS, TNT, TBS, truTV

Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight: CBS, TBS

Final Four and Championship: TBS

March Madness: North Carolina grabs No. 1 seed, rest of NCAA Tournament spots decided in final Bracketology

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: BYU Selection Sunday results: March Madness brackets, schedule, predictions