The BYU basketball program is rising up the national rankings in the first year under head coach Mark Pope and is being talked about as a team no one wants to face in the NCAA Tournament.

A pair of former Arizona high school products are helping to fuel the Cougars’ rise.

Guards Jake Toolson and Alex Barcello are playing integral parts for BYU, currently 24-7 overall and 13-3 in the West Coast Conference.

Toolson, a senior, is averaging 15.3 points per game. 4.7 rebounds per game and four assists per game in 33.5 minutes per game.

Barcello, a junior, is averaging 9.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30 minutes per game.

It has not been an easy road for them to get where they are now.

Toolson, who went to Gilbert Highland High, committed to BYU in high school and played for the Cougars in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

But he played sparingly and took a medical leave from the school before transferring to Utah Valley, where he sat out the 2016-17 season.

He started every game for the Wolverines in 2017-18, scoring 10.9 points per game. In 2018-19, he averaged 15.7 points per game and was named the WAC Player of the Year.

Toolson transferred back to BYU for his senior season, where he has continued to play under Pope, who was his coach at Utah Valley.

He was named to the West Coast Conference’s first team and was also the newcomer of the year in the conference.

Barcello, who went to Tempe Corona del Sol High, committed to Arizona in high school and played for the Wildcats for two seasons in 2018-18 and 2018-19.

He struggled to gain traction on Sean Miller’s team, however, and transferred to BYU for his junior season.

The former Arizona high school standouts are standing out with BYU this year, and are a big reason the Cougars could be a very difficult out in March Madness.

USA TODAY Sports currently projects BYU to be a No. 6 seed in the tournament.

It recently upset Gonzaga, a projected No. 1 seed, 91-78.

BYU is currently ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

College basketball analyst Ken Pomeroy has BYU ranked No. 10 and thinks the Cougars could be in store for a long run in the NCAA Tournament.

“BYU obviously fits that bill, just with their three-point shooting,” he said on a recent podcast.

BYU is shooting 42.4% from 3-point range on the season and Barcello and Toolson are big reasons why.

Barcello is shooting 48.6% on his 3-point attempts, while Toolson is making 47.1% of his attempts from that distance.

The Arizona high school products appear like they could have a big impact in the NCAA Tournament.

That’s something you wouldn’t have guessed after the rough starts to their college careers.