There was no luck involved in Utah’s upset of 14th-ranked Brigham Young last weekend.
The Utes grabbed a double-digit halftime advantage and led for 38 of the 40 minutes in recording their first victory over a ranked BYU team in 30 years. In every sense, it was one of Utah’s most inspired performances in years.
Now comes the deflating reality: The Utes must root for BYU.
Yep, they’re cheering for the enemy.
Such is life in the NCAA Tournament selection process, where a 73-69 victory in December carries implications for March and a bitter rival becomes a staunch supporter.
The strength of Utah’s resume will depend, in part, on BYU’s success in the Big 12.
The more quality wins the Cougars collect in their new conference — and it’s arguably the toughest league in the land — the more weight Utah’s head-to-head victory carries.
If the Utes fare well in Pac-12 play and are in the pool of teams competing for at-large bids to March Madness, every aspect of their resume will be compared to other at-large contenders.
A victory over the Cougars could be the difference.
But BYU cannot flop and flail through the league season. The Cougars need to topple a few Big 12 heavyweights — a Kansas here, a Baylor there, maybe an Oklahoma or Texas, too — in order for the early-December result to resonate in the middle of March.
If BYU wins, Utah wins — and isn’t that what friends are for.
To the Best of the West …
(NET rankings through Tuesday)
1. Arizona (8-0)
Last week: 1
NET ranking: No. 1
Next up: vs. Purdue (Saturday)
Comment: Arizona’s remaining non-conference dates are against teams with a combined record of 22-6: Purdue first, then Alabama and FAU. Win those, and the Wildcats will have a healthy level of margin for error in Pac-12 play as they target a No. 1 seed in the NCAAs.
2. Gonzaga (7-2)
Last week: 2
NET ranking: No. 34
Next up: vs. UConn (Friday)
Comment: As if losing to Washington wasn’t enough cause for concern in Spokane, there’s this: The Huskies had 11 assists and 19 turnovers and still won.
3. Brigham Young (8-1)
Last week: 3
NET ranking: No. 3
Next up: vs. Denver (Wednesday)
Comment: The Hotline doesn’t foresee another loss for BYU until the Big 12 road opener, at Baylor, at which point the Cougars should be 13-1.
4. Colorado State (9-1)
Last week: 4
NET ranking: No. 16
Next up: vs. CSU-Pueblo (Sunday)
Comment: We gave the Rams a slight advantage over their in-state rival because of the head-to-head result: CSU beat Colorado by five points two weeks ago.
5. Colorado (7-2)
Last week: 7
NET ranking: No. 37
Next up: vs. Northern Colorado (Friday)
Comment: Had you told us before the Miami game that KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva would combine for 42 points on 17-of-30 shooting from the field, the Hotline would have expected a CU victory — just not by 27 points.
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6. Utah (7-2)
Last week: Not ranked
NET ranking: No. 32
Next up: vs. Utah Valley (Saturday)
Comment: More resume talk: The Utes’ late-November win at Saint Mary’s gained some heft after the struggling Gaels rose up and took down undefeated Colorado State.
7. San Diego State (8-2)
Last week: 6
NET ranking: No. 29
Next up: vs. St. Katherine (Tuesday)
Comment: ESPN’s matchup predictor gives SDSU a 99 percent chance to beat the Firebirds, an NAIA school located in San Marcos, Calif. That feels low.
8. New Mexico (9-1)
Last week: 10
NET ranking: No. 24
Next up: at New Mexico State (Friday)
Comment: The wins keep coming, but we don’t see much meat on the Lobos’ resume. And the rest of the non-conference schedule is decidedly underwhelming.
9. UCLA (5-3)
Last week: 5
NET ranking: No. 116
Next up: vs. Ohio State (Saturday)
Comment: When it’s the middle of December and your best results are three losses, progress is slow.
10. Nevada (7-1)
Last week: 9
NET ranking: No. 52
Next up: vs. Weber State (Wednesday)
Comment: We considered removing Nevada from the BOTW rankings this week after the loss to Drake but ultimately gave the Wolf Pack credit for the victory over Washington, which looks much better after the Huskies handled Gonzaga.
Also considered: Grand Canyon, Hawaii, Oregon, Portland State, San Francisco, Santa Clara, USC and Utah State
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