BYU men's basketball: Cougars crack Top 25 polls

PROVO — The BYU men's basketball team, off to a 14-1 start and fresh off last week's 30-point shellacking of Arizona, have cracked the Top 25 rankings in both the AP poll and ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.

It's the fourth straight year in which the Cougars have been ranked in the Top 25 at some point during the season — which has never happened before in BYU history.

"It's really good for recruiting and our fans," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "I think our players understand what it really means is that there are people around the country who think we're a good team, and the next team we play is going to think we're a pretty good team too."

The Cougars, winners of nine straight, are ranked No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Today poll, and No. 25 in the AP poll. In the AP poll, the Cougars got 145 points, which is six points ahead of Clemson in the 26th spot and four behind Washington (10-3) in the 24th spot. In the coaches poll the Cougars got 97 points, which is 16 head of No. 24 Butler and seven behind No. 22 Washington.

"We feel like we should be a Top 25 team because we've been playing really well and we're 14-1," junior guard Jimmer Fredette said.

With the exception of the four unbeaten teams that comprise the top four in each poll — Kansas, Texas, Kentucky and Purdue — the Cougars and fellow Mountain West Conference foe New Mexico, have the next best records in the rankings. Six teams with three losses — Temple, Connecticut, North Carolina, Gonzaga, Michigan State and Washington — are ranked ahead of BYU.

"It's something you want to have happen during the season, now we'll just see if we can stay in there ... when you're ranked in January, what you want to do is make sure you're ranked in March so that can help you in the postseason," Rose said.

New Mexico is ranked 14th in the coaches poll and 15th in the AP poll. UNLV, BYU's opponent on Wednesday at the Marriott Center, is among the others receiving votes in both polls.

"It's great to be ranked, it's great for our program and for our confidence, but it just puts another target on your back," Fredette said. "Everybody wants to beat a Top 25 team. So we know we're going to get everyone's best game.

"We still have to practice the same and take it game-by-game and continue to give it our best effort, and hopefully we can keep winning and stay in the rankings."

e-mail: jimr@desnews.com

AP Top 25