Utah State guard Darius Brown II celebrates with fans after defeating San Diego State Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024, in Logan, Utah. The Aggies moved back into the AP Top 25 rankings on Monday.
Eli Lucero, The Herald Journal via Associated Press
For first time since November, the BYU men’s basketball team is outside of the AP Top 25.
The Cougars dropped one spot from last week’s No. 25 ranking to the first team out in Monday’s poll after an impressive 78-71 win over No. 11 Baylor followed by a deflating 84-74 road loss to Kansas State.
Utah State, however, leapt to No. 22 behind a victory over No. 19 San Diego State at the Spectrum last week. The Aggies had not been ranked in each of the two previous polls.
Utah State received 207 votes to place between No. 21 Dayton (261) and No. 23 Gonzaga (184).
BYU’s 92 votes placed it 35 points outside of the top 25.
With the Cougars falling, only four Big 12 teams are listed in the rankings — No. 1 Houston, No. 7 Kansas, No. 8 Iowa State and No. 15 Baylor. Texas Tech finished 27 votes behind BYU in the unranked realm.
Aside from the Aggies, No. 19 San Diego State was the only other ranked Mountain West program.
For the fifth straight week, Utah did not receive any votes.
While voters favor Utah State over the Cougars, BYU still holds an advantage in the advanced metrics. Mark Pope’s squad ranks No. 13 in NET and No. 18 in KenPom, while the Aggies check in at No. 29 and No. 40, respectively.
The Cougars — now 7-7 in Big 12 play — look to achieve the seemingly impossible on Tuesday in taking on the No. 7-ranked Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse, where Kansas has yet to lose this season.
Meanwhile, Utah State hits the road to face Fresno State Tuesday before returning to Logan to host Air Force Friday.
BYU head coach Mark Pope complains to the ref in Provo on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024. The Cougars fell out of the AP Top 25 on Monday, but still boast impressive rankings the NET and KenPom.
Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News