BYU's surprising 91-57 win over Kansas and TCU's 69-66 win over Texas Tech during a chaotic night in the Big XII impacts Arizona. Arizona hosts BYU on Saturday and the TCU win over Texas Tech puts the Wildcats back into sole possession of second place in the Big XII.
The dominant win by BYU over Kansas should have the attention of Arizona for Tommy Lloyd. Arizona won 85-74 at BYU earlier this month. Any complacency Arizona might have had entering the game versus BYU on Saturday after a critical road win at Baylor on Monday night should dissipate with the Cougars win over the Jayhawks.
BYU dominated Kansas nearly from the tip-off. The Cougars scored the first eight points of the game and never trailed. BYU led 46-25 at halftime. BYU, led by at least 30 for the final 9:29, had their biggest margin of 38 points and handed Kansas their record-tying worst defeat under Bill Self.
BYU leading scorer Richie Saunders led five Cougars in double figures. Saunders scored 22 points on 9-13 from the field and 4-8 on three-point attempts. Arizona held Saunders to 11 points on 3-8 from the field, 2-5 on three-point attempts and 3-5 from the free throw line in the win in Provo.
Kansas was the Preseason No. 1 team in the country.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 19, 2025
The Jayhawks lost by 34 points last night at BYU, and are now 8-7 in Big 12 play - which is tied with Baylor and TCU for sixth in the league.
Kansas is likely now in the 6-7 seed range for the NCAA tourney with a couple of…
Noah Reynolds scored 16 points, including the final seven, leading TCU to a 69-66 upset victory over ninth-ranked Texas Tech on Tuesday night in Fort Worth. Texas Tech’s drops to 11-4 in the Big XII and 21-5 overall. Arizona now holds sole possession of second place at 12-3 in the Big XII and 18-8 overall.
The loss by Texas Tech puts Arizona in a good position to earn the two seed in the Big XII tournament. After BYU, Arizona hosts Utah, is at Iowa State, plays Arizona State in Tucson and finishes the regular season at Kansas. Texas Tech hosts West Virginia and Houston is at Kansas, hosts Colorado and is at Arizona State to finish the regular season.
Iowa State is tied with Texas Tech for third place in the Big XII at 11-4. Finishing second or third in the Big XII regular season standings means avoiding Houston in the conference tournament semifinals. Houston is a near lock to finish first with a two-game lead over Arizona and holding the tiebreaker.