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Late to the dance: BYU embraces ‘Cinderella’ role at Sweet 16, but still confident

By Darnell Dickson - | Mar 26, 2025
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BYU men's basketball coach Kevin Young addresses his team during practice at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.
Courtesy BYU Photo

NEWARK, N.J. — Does Cinderella still have a place at the ball?

Every team in the Sweet 16 is from a Power 5 conference. Mid-major programs Drake, McNeese, New Mexico and Colorado State all won first-round games but were eliminated in the round of 32.

Dropped their glass slippers, as it were, and didn’t get home before midnight.

BYU is fairly new to the Power 5 and earned a spot in its first Sweet 16 since 2011 with wins against VCU and Wisconsin, easily sliding into the underdog role.

“In a lot of ways, you could say we’re a Cinderella,” Cougar coach Kevin Young said. “We were picked ninth in the Big 12 and we’re in the Sweet 16.”

There are a lot of reasons for the lack of upsets in this year’s NCAA Tournament and it’s easy to point to NIL and the transfer portal.

That isn’t wrong, but its probably a lot more nuanced than just those two things.

No. 6 seed BYU isn’t the lowest seed to make the second weekend (that honor belongs to No. 10 seed Arkansas from the SEC) but might be the most surprising.

“Like anything, I think things have a way of working themselves out,” Young said. “People learn whatever the rules of engagement are, people are going to learn how to play them to their advantage, and I’m sure the mid-majors will figure out how to work around the way things currently are. Just on a personal level, no, I don’t think the Cinderella idea is done. I think maybe it’s just more of a coincidence this year perhaps, but who knows?”

BYU’s opponent on Thursday is No. 2 seed Alabama, which is definitely not a Cinderella story. The Crimson Tide have reached at least the Sweet 16 four of the past five years and last season advanced to the Final Four.

We’ve got a really tough game in front of us in BYU,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “I think since maybe February 12 — we looked it up — they’ve got the No. 1 offense in the country. And they play in a good league in the Big 12 with some really good defensive teams. Hopefully, we’ll continue to play well on offense, but our defense is going to have to be at an elite level with BYU. They’re good in transition, they’re good in the half court, they’re good on the boards. They’re pretty much good at everything, they’re great in pick-and-rolls, so our defense will get tested against these guys on Thursday.”

Not surprisingly, the respect is mutual from the podium.

“Shout out to Alabama,” BYU senior guard Trevin Knell said. “They’re a really high-octane offense. They have really dynamic guards that are really well-coached. I think it’s going to be fun to play a team from the SEC and fun to play a team of that caliber. We’re both No. 1 and No. 2 two in offensive ratings right now, so it’s going to definitely be a high scoring, fast-paced game. I’m excited to hopefully be able to play some good defense, not have it 150-149 or something like that.”

The Cougars started the Big 12 schedule 1-3 and Young told the media he was constantly reminding his players that they were still a good team. Eventually that belief took hold on the court, and BYU has won 11 of its past 12 games.

“Belief comes from the hard work we’ve done, all the hard work at the beginning of the year,” senior guard Trey Stewart said. “It’s not just something that shows up and develops in some way. It’s a habit. It’s the consistency that you build.”

Junior guard Dawson Baker said the players have had “deep talks” about how to gain that belief in themselves.

“We talked about what we really wanted to get to our standard, regardless of our record,” he said. “We stuck to those things really, really well. Defensively, we’ve come a long way and offensively, those things have just kept adding up.

“We just came to the realization that we’re good enough to be in the Top 10, so we should be winning these games. I don’t know why it’s a surprise to anyone. It’s going to be a more modern college basketball game. I feel like it’s very different and very unique and there’s gonna be a lot of offensive power that’s gonna be super fun to watch.”

Alabama’s leading scorer, Mark Sears, said, “They play a lot like us, very fast paced. It should be a very fun game but’s going to come down to getting stops.”

Men’s College Basketball

NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

East Regional

No. 6 BYU (26-9) vs. No. 2 Alabama (27-8)

Thursday, 5:09 p.m. MT

Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.

TV/Streaming: CBS

Radio: KSL 102.7 FM/1160 AM, Varsity Network

Live stats: ncaa.com

The Word: Alabama has a 2-0 lead in the series with BYU, winning in 1957 (77-74) and 2017 (71-59). … The Crimson Tide was ranked No. 2 in the country in the preseason AP poll. … Alabama has made the Sweet 16 three seasons in a row and advanced to the FInal Four last year. … In winning 11 of its past 12 games, BYU is averaging 83.8 points per game. … The Cougars last win in the Sweet 16 came in 1981, a 51-50 victory against Notre Dame.

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