Saturday’s moment in Boston doesn’t come around very often. In fact, for BYU basketball, it never has. When the No. 7-ranked Cougars tip off against No. 3 UConn (5 p.m. MST, Fox) in the home of the Boston Celtics — TD Garden — it will be an elevated, top-10, made-for-television event of a lifetime, especially for Cougars star AJ Dybantsa.
Boston holds a special place for Cougar fans. America’s colonial area produced Paul Revere’s historic midnight ride, Danny Ainge’s championship run as an NBA player and executive, and it’s also the home to the world’s top recruit — who chose to play at BYU over offers from everybody, including UConn.
At 6-foot-9 and loaded with skill, Dybantsa grew up in the Boston suburb of Brockton. His age made him a post Ainge-era Celtics fan and while his parents (Ace and Chelsea) knew all about BYU’s first national player of the year, Dybantsa never connected Ainge with the Cougars until the recruiting process began.
Ace and Chelsea met with Ainge during their initial visit to Provo last spring and the rest is history.
The Cougars prepped for UConn by defeating Villanova, Holy Cross and Delaware. The unblemished Huskies have wins against New Haven, UMass Lowell and Columbia. Both teams are still developing an identity.
“When you watch clips of BYU and AJ and (Richie) Saunders, they have one of the best point guards (Rob Wright) in the country. When you see that quality on film you get scared straight,” said UConn coach Dan Hurley. “Things that worked (in) the first three games won’t work — but it’s fun. We are excited to play one of the best teams in the country.”
Intrigue is high for the Cougars too. This is BYU’s first top-10 matchup in 14 years and it comes in a protected wrapper — win or lose, they get a quality opponent, an early measuring stick and a boost to their all-important schedule strength.
Star power: Part I
Saturday’s game is just the second time BYU and UConn will face each other. In a matchup of three future top-10 NBA draft picks and a second rounder, UConn beat BYU 58-53 in the first round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
Travis Hansen’s 3-point shot gave the 12th-seeded Cougars a 27-26 halftime lead. The fifth-seeded Huskies opened the second half on a 14-2 scoring run. Star center Emeka Okafor scored 20 points and Ben Gordon added 14.
Hansen, who finished with 21, was drafted as the 37th overall pick to the Atlanta Hawks in the 2003 NBA draft. Okafor was the second player selected in the 2004 draft to the Charlotte Bobcats and Gordon was taken third by the Chicago Bulls. BYU center Rafael Araujo was selected a few minutes later as the eighth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors.
Star power: Part II
The rematch, 22 years later, features six players ranked among ESPN’s Top 100 prospects for the 2026 NBA draft. Dybantsa (2) and Saunders (70) represent the Cougars, while the injured Braylon Mullins (12), Alex Karaban (40), Eric Reibe (53) and Solo Ball (59) are on the list for the Huskies.
UConn is BYU’s highest-ranked opponent in the preseason, but not the last. The Cougars face No. 24 Wisconsin (3-0) on Nov. 21 at the Delta Center. They meet unbeaten Miami (3-0) on Thanksgiving Day in the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational in Orlando, Florida, and clash with Clemson (3-0) on Dec. 9 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Eye on the prize
Never again. That’s what Young said about last year’s soft preseason that failed to get the Cougars ready to compete in the Big 12. After taking their league lumps early, BYU recovered and found its stride in time for a head-turning run to the Sweet 16.
As Young eyes the early developments in the Big 12, he sees Houston (1), Arizona (5), Texas Tech (11), Iowa State (16) and Kansas (25) joining his Cougars (7) in the AP Top 25. BYU will play a combined seven games against those foes leading up to the Big 12 tournament. Baylor, Kansas State, Cincinnati and West Virginia won’t be a walk in the park either.
Saturday’s game against UConn and the 2026 Final Four are separated by 153 days. The Huskies know the journey well, having won two of the last three NCAA championships. For BYU, the march is much different and if they can get there — it will be unprecedented in program history.
For sure, BYU-UConn at TD Garden is big in the moment, but whichever team wins won’t even be king for the day as football dominates the pre-winter landscape. However, the showdown does plant the seeds for a rematch when the world warms up again and the national semifinals sprout in Indianapolis.
Even the “Farmer’s Almanac” would have to include the Cougars and Huskies as must-see spring TV — with so much more on the line.
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.