Last season, BYU Basketball finished right about where they were expected to: 20+ wins, third in the West Coast Conference, and an NIT berth.
They finished 65th in RPI and 82nd in ESPN’s BPI. Another good season, but not a great one.
Then, in the offseason the Cougars lost Elijah Bryant, who was arguably their second-best player. The senior-to-be decided to forego his senior season and turn pro.
Doesn’t sound like a recipe for vast improvement, right? But ESPN thinks BYU will be much better in 2018-19.
The network recently released their preseason BPI rankings, and they have the Cougars at 32nd.