Just as a good running back follows his blockers, the No. 25 BYU basketball team is pursuing the same path as football by defying preseason expectations and contending for a top four finish in the 16-team Big 12.

Prior to the football season opener against Southern Illinois, outside pundits picked Kalani Sitake’s Cougars to win fewer than five games and finish 13th in the conference. Inside projectionists, like those of us on BYUtv, debated over a seven- or eight-win season.

What seemed blue-goggled to some appeared attainable and begat a second discussion. If BYU was good enough to win seven games, why not eight? And, if eight, why not nine? Or even 10? This line of thought, buoyed by performance, held true right up to the Cougars’ four-way tie for first place and extended to the Alamo Bowl.

BYU’s 36-14 dismantling of No. 23 Colorado capped a stunning 11-2 season and earned the Cougars a final No. 13 ranking in the AP Top 25.

Kevin Young and his basketball roster were eyewitnesses to football’s success. They attended games at LaVell Edwards Stadium, sang the fight song with their peers, and wooed recruits amid the special aura that flourished amid the overachievement.

It is no surprise that right in the middle of football’s glory and shortly after AJ Dybantsa’s official visit, which included attending the Arizona game on Oct. 12, the nation’s No. 1 prospect signed with BYU.

The intoxicating, yet alcohol-free, vibe at LES moved up the street and into the Marriott Center, where Young’s Cougars, labeled as ninth place preseason participants, embarked on the same journey to defy the odds and turn the Big 12 upside down.

Wednesday’s 91-81 victory at Arizona State has the No. 25 Cougars (20-8, 11-6) knocking on the door of a top-four finish, with No. 4 Houston, No. 10 Texas Tech and No. 22 Arizona, and earn a double bye in the Big 12 tournament. What many thought was unattainable just weeks ago is within BYU’s grasp.

The Cougars, which have won nine of their last 11 games, are tied in fourth place with No. 9 Iowa State (21-7, 11-6). The Cougars’ remaining games include West Virginia (Saturday) and Utah at home and a date Tuesday against the Cyclones in Ames. Iowa State finishes the regular season against Arizona (Saturday) and BYU at home and Kansas State on the road.

Applying the blue-goggled football logic to basketball, if BYU is good enough to win 11 conference games, including a road date at Arizona and a 34-point rout of Kansas, who is to say the Cougars can’t win 12, 13 or even 14 and finish among the top four?

Tell Richie Saunders, Keba Keita, Egor Demin and the others that it can’t be done — and they will find a way to do it on the court just as Jake Retzlaff, Tyler Batty and Chase Roberts and their guys did it on the gridiron.

Despite low expectations, football showed what was possible and basketball is following their lead. Sitake saved his best for last with BYU’s most complete game against Colorado. Young has his boys charging down the home stretch but is hoping their best and last blast is still weeks away.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.