alt=Jeff CallPROVO — Having returned to the national rankings for the first time in nine seasons, No. 23 BYU is on the verge of playing its first game as a ranked team since it lost to Florida in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in 2011.
The Cougars, riding a six-game winning streak, host Santa Clara Thursday (7 p.m., MST, CBS SN). And while they are gratified by the recognition by the Associated Press voters, nothing is changing their approach to this game.
“I feel so happy for BYU fans right now. Our job hasn’t changed at all. We can keep getting better every day. We can keep moving towards the goals we have or we can not. The ranking doesn’t really affect that,” said coach Mark Pope. “But I do know that it means something to people. We actually care about our fans, we care about this community and we care about this school and how it’s represented. For all of those reasons, it’s really fun, it’s really rewarding and it’s really great. But in terms of in the trenches for us, we have the same job.”
BYU is coming off a heart-thumping 72-71 win at San Diego last Saturday. On Monday, the Cougars jumped into the AP poll.
“It’s definitely really cool. It’s a product of all the hard work we’ve put in and it’s something we’re really proud of,” said senior guard Jake Toolson. “But it’s not something that we said before the season, that our ultimate goal is to be ranked. It’s kind of a result of the process that we’ve taken this year. It’s something cool to see, but we’re focused on winning games and our ultimate goal.”
Pope is not concerned about his senior-laden team becoming distracted by outside attention on the program.
“There’s always distractions. We’ve had distractions all season long. We talk about the things that veterans do for you,” Pope said. “They don’t make every shot, they don’t make every right decision, they don’t jump higher or run faster. But they do have experience in handling situations. I trust that these guys will do the same thing here.”
BYU will be playing its final two home games of the season, with the home finale against No. 2 Gonzaga on Saturday.
“It’s such a weird thought to think about, that these are our last games in the Marriott Center,” said senior TJ Haws. “It’s been my life for four years and it’s weird that it’s coming to a close. But we are trying to win games. Hopefully, we can finish this out in the Marriott Center with a couple of wins.”
As part of the quirky WCC schedule, BYU will be facing Santa Clara for the first and only time this season on Thursday.
“It’s a little different, right? But we’ve been watching them and they’re good. They’re really scary. They’ve won big games on the road this season,” Pope said of the Broncos. “They can really shoot it and they’re really physical in the post. That’s something that’s concerning. It is a little different that we haven’t played them. But it doesn’t change the magnitude of the game.”
Santa Clara (18-9, 5-7) is led by forward Josip Vrankic (11.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) and guard Trey Wertz (11.9 ppg, 3.7 rpg).
While BYU boasts seven seniors, the Broncos have zero seniors on its roster.
The Cougars are eyeing big goals this season, like getting to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years. In ESPN’s latest bracket projections by Joe Lunardi, BYU is a No. 6 seed. The Cougars (21-7, 10-3) are No. 21 in the NCAA’s NET rankings and they are rated No. 19 by Kenpom.com.
Earning a No. 23 ranking is validation for the kind of season BYU is having. But that’s all it is.
“We still have a lot of work to do. It’s not our end goal,” Haws said. “Our mentality every day coming into practice and coming into this game hasn’t changed. We’ve got to keep winning games. That starts (Thursday).”
“We have a really solid resume. That’s a byproduct of what these guys have tried to do all season long. If for some reason the voters don’t rank us next week, it doesn’t really change our job,“ Pope said. “Our job is to get better every day and come play. I would love to say that the sportswriters are really attracted by my incredible wit and humor, but I don’t think that’s why they ranked us No. 23. It’s because we have a good team and because the guys have played really well.”
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Santa Clara (18-9, 5-7) at No. 23 BYU (21-7, 10-3)
Thursday, 7 p.m. MST
Marriott Center
TV: CBS SN
Radio: 1160 AM, BYU Radio