Why BYU Deserves to be ranked at 10 (and also why they maybe don't!)

At the start of this season, I was not a believer. My ignorance led me to believe that New Mexico would easily dominate the MWC, but this year I have been thoroughly surprised (as many have, I am sure) at BYU's dominance this year. They have climbed their way up to the 10th spot in the ESPN/USA Today poll, but do they deserve it?

BYU IS the 10th Best Team in the Country

BYU has earned their top spot by not only winning, but dominating teams in their games. 16 of their 20 wins have come by 10 points or more (8 of their wins have been by 20 points or more!). Sure, some of these wins have come from teams who probably shouldn't even be playing basketball (EWU and ENM... let's face it, they are awful).

Another interesting fact: BYU was techinically the first team in the top 25 to reach 20 wins. That may just be a schedule advantage, as at this point they have played more games than some of the teams up there, but it is interesting nonetheless.

The main reason why I like BYU so much is a man named Jimmer Fredette. Without a doubt he is the MWC Player of the Year. He leads the team in points (20.2) and assists (5.0) and he had a HUGE games against Nevada (33 points, 6 assists), Arizona (49, 9), and SDSU (33, 5).

BYU also has many other great weapons in Jackson Emery, and Tyler Haws (and all three are guards!) which have help put them at the 10th spot, and if they beat New Mexico today, they should keep climbing.

BYU is NOT the 10th Best Team in the country

As with any MWC team in any sport, the argument comes up that "they haven't really beaten anybody", and this holds true for BYU. They haven't played a single team that is currently ranked this season. This lack of true opponents will make their record look good, but could (as it usually does) come back to bite them in the NCAA Tournament, where the MWC usually doesn't fair well. BYU, who won the MWC but failed to win the MWC Tournament, was also immediately eliminated in the first round along with Utah and Utah State. So it comes back to the same question that the BYU football team gets: Can they win when it actually matters?

BYU's weak schedule is very strong argument that they should not be ranked as high as they are. UNM is the only challenge that they should have this season, so what will happen when they get to the NCAA Tournament? If they stay this high they should draw a team they can beat, but what will happen in the second when they have to beat someone like Gonzaga, Michigan State, or Purdue? These programs have been tested. While BYU has not. Beating UNM today (who is ranked 23rd in the AP Poll) will be their only win against a "ranked" team (they are not in the ESPN/USA Today poll, and if they lose, they will promptly fall out of the ranking).

I Love you, but....

As much as I have loved watching BYU play and climb the rankings so quickly, I am still nervous about how this will play out for them later. Can they finally make a move in the NCAA Tourney behind Jimmer Fredette this year? Or will we just see how lack of a strong schedule leads to disappointment in the end? We will see in March.