BYU is back in the Big Dance.
The Cougars have earned a 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region. They will face the winner of a First Four matchup between Texas and NC State in the round of 64 on Thursday in Portland, Oregon, as announced during Sunday’s bracket reveal show on CBS.
BYU head coach Kevin Young has now taken the Cougars to the tournament in each of his first two seasons at the helm in Provo, with this year marking the 33rd tournament appearance in program history.
After BYU had previously lost five straight tournament games between 2012-24, Young led the Cougars to the Sweet 16 in 2025, defeating 11-seeded VCU in the first round and scoring a Round of 32 upset over 3 seed Wisconsin before ultimately falling to 2 seed Alabama.
Texas ranks No. 37 in KenPom, while NC State is three spots higher at No. 34.
The Longhorns, once BYU’s Big 12 foe, went 18-14 this year to finish 10th in the SEC.
The Wolfpack finished 20-13 and reached the ACC tournament quarterfinal.
In all, the Cougars posted an 8-8 regular season record against teams in the tournament field.
If BYU takes care of business Thursday against Texas or NC State, the Cougars will face the winner of a 3-14 matchup between Gonzaga and Kennesaw State.
BYU head coach Kevin Young celebrates with fans after BYU defeated Iowa State 79-69 in an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
