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Kevin Young has a huge challenge ahead of him this coming weekend when the Cougars host Kansas killer Kansas State before taking on that No. 17-ranked Kansas team in the Marriott Center on Feb. 18.
It doesn’t get any easier when BYU travels to No. 13 Arizona in Tucson and Arizona State in Tempe on the next road trip for his team. After that challenge, a rematch with West Virginia in Provo will set up a road trip to No. 10 Iowa State before the Big 12 schedule concludes with a rivalry rematch with Utah at the Marriott Center.
The Cougars need to find a more consistent offense and defend hot shooters far more effectively with the players on their roster. It won’t be easy. This is a young BYU team playing in a tough league with high-caliber talent and coaching.
The Cougars will need to make headway in their next seven games to make the NCAA Tournament. In this story, Jackson Payne explains what experts predict will happen in the coming weeks with a tough schedule on the horizon for the Cougars. After a four-game win streak the Cougars lost at home to Arizona and then against Cincinnati on the road. Here is my analysis of the loss to the Bearcats.
Heading into Tuesday’s game at West Virginia, Young explained to media folks he needed to find more defensive energy and offense to avoid second-half collapses as in the past two games. You can read Drew’s report here.
Question of the week
BYU’s five-star recruit AJ Dybantsa is in the middle of his Utah Prep season. Has he continued to receive the hype, lived up to it, and proven to be the prospect Kevin Young and many experts saw a year ago?
Jay Drew: From everything I have read, and viewed on short clips on the internet, BYU signee AJ Dybantsa is having a strong senior season playing for Utah Prep. The team itself is not doing well — it went 0-3 at the Atlanta Grind Session event last weekend — but Dybantsa is more than living up to the hype.
That doesn’t mean he will be the sure-fire No. 1 pick in the NBA draft in June 2026, but he hasn’t done anything to lessen his prospects. It is just that other rising stars, including Kansas-bound Darryn Peterson, is also making waves.
Peterson, the No. 3 recruit in 247Sports.com’s Composite Rankings, slightly outplayed Dybantsa last Saturday when his Prolific Prep team out of California edged Utah Prep 88-86 at the Atlanta get-together. Peterson scored 58 points and made the game-winning shot.
Still, Dybantsa had 49 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Last Friday, Dybantsa had 44 and 13 in a 96-90 loss to Dream City; and on Sunday, Dybantsa scored 38 points and had seven rebounds in a 69-61 loss to Iowa United.
The future Cougar can score, no question about it.
Another Utah Prep player to watch is Anthony Felesi, who had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the loss to Prolific Prep. A four-star recruit, Felesi has an offer from BYU, but is also being heavily recruited by Louisville and Houston. Utah Prep’s JJ Mandaquit, a Hawaii native, has signed with Washington.
Dick Harmon: AJ Dybantsa has definitely made an impact since his signing with BYU. Here’s a summary of some of his highlights:
- In a game against Prolific Prep, Dybantsa scored 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out six assists, and made four steals, showcasing his all-around skills on the court.
- He scored 32 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while shooting an impressive 13 out of 15 from the field in another game, highlighting his efficiency and scoring ability.
- At Hoophall West, Dybantsa contributed 23 points and 10 rebounds in a win for Utah Prep, demonstrating his impact in high-stakes games.
- In tournament games, Dybantsa was named MVP at the ‘Iolani Classic, where Utah Prep went 4-0, defeating notable teams like Brewster Academy in the championship game. In the Montverde Academy Invitational Tournament, he scored 35 points, had 15 rebounds, and dished out five assists in a game against Sagemont Prep, showing his versatility and dominance.
For the season he’s averaging around 19.8 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game for Utah Prep.
Dybantsa has proven he is a go-to guy. He can finish. He is the guy a team can turn to late in a game, when offense is needed, and the shot clock is winding down. He is an alpha. This is what BYU’s current team needs.
Cougar tales
BYU women’s basketball player Delaney Gibb earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the seventh time this season for her performance in wins over Baylor and UCF. BYU’s women’s gymnastics team scored a season high in Denver. In men’s tennis, the Cougars completed a 6-1 win at Lehigh. In men’s volleyball, the Cougars swept UC Santa Barbara
From the archives
From the X-verse
Cougar breaks school women’s 400-meter record (@BYUSportsNation)
Brother-in-law remembers Jake Schoff (@CriddleBenjamin)
Classic showdown involved Dybantsa (@Dybantsa_Muse)
Extra points
Steve Young shares ‘learning moments’ in life (Deseret News)
Puka and Doncic swap jerseys in LA (KSLsports)
BYU makes final cut for Hawaii’s top recruit (KSLsports)
Fanalyst
Comments from Desert News readers:
With arguably more talent and depth, coach Kevin Young is doing far, far less with this team than what they accomplished last year. It is apparent they are getting outcoached badly with halftime and late game adjustments and is failing at getting his players to play with intensity and high IQ plays in the late game. Instead they make lousy late-game decisions, poor ball handling/turnovers, beyond poor shot selection and lousy late-game defense, horrible free-throw shooting is at a 6th grade Jr. Jazz level! I know he has been coaching as an assistant for a while, but he sure has the look of a first-year head coach that appears to be learning on the job the hard way!
— Terry
The problem is not really heart. It’s inexperience. While the veterans are not good enough to carry the team, the younger guys (which is where the real talent is) have not yet learned to handle adversity well. This is why they have been so bad on the road, having only beaten UCF and winless Colorado. This is a one-and-done team, regardless of the tournament. I see an 18-13 (9-11) team with remaining wins only at ASU (maybe) and at home against WV and Utah.
— Mbramso
Up next
- Feb. 12 | 11 a.m. | Softball | North Dakota State | @ Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Feb. 13 | 8 a.m. | Men’s golf | John Burns Intercollegiate | @ Lihue, Hawaii
- Feb. 13| 3 p.m. | Softball | Illinois State | @ Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Feb. 13 | 8 p.m. | Men’s volleyball | Concordia | @ Irvine, California
- Feb. 14 | Track and field | Don Kirby Elite Invitational | @ Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Feb. 14 | Track and field | Husky Classic | @ Seattle
- Feb. 14 | 7 p.m. | Baseball | Fresno State | @ Fresno, California
- Feb. 15 | 3 p.m. | Women’s basketball | Oklahoma State | @ Provo
- Feb. 15 | 7 p.m. | Men’s basketball | Kansas State | @ Provo