Back at the Big 12 basketball media day in Kansas City three months ago, BYU coach Kevin Young was already outlining for reporters what his second team’s identity would be in the 2025-26 season.
“Those three guys,” Young said at T-Mobile Center on Oct. 22, pointing in the direction of AJ Dybantsa, Rob Wright III and Richie Saunders. “We are going to ride all three.”
Boy, have they ever.
The so-called “Big 3” — other nicknames have been bandied about, but none seem to be sticking as much as the tried and true — have combined to score 1,072 of the team’s 1,559 points this season. That’s 68.7% of No. 13 BYU’s points, an astoundingly high number.
Whether that kind of production from just three players is sustainable for a team (16-2, 4-1) hoping to make a long NCAA Tournament run in a couple of months is probably a good topic for another day. For now, Young believes it is, pointing to a recent 104-76 win over Arizona State in which Saunders (31), Wright (27) and Dybantsa (23) combined to outscore the Sun Devils, 81-76.
The reason it is doable, Young said, stems from the way these guys play: unselfishly, with an eye toward doing whatever will help the team win.
“When those three guys in particular have that focus, with their talent and their unselfishness that they play the game with, the sky is the limit, not only for that trio, but for our team as well,” Young said.
Would the Cougars be contending for a Big 12 title without any of the three? No way. That’s how valuable each player is to this group, which saw its depth nicked tremendously when expected contributors Dawson Baker and Nate Pickens suffered season-ending injuries early in the season (Baker) or before it even began (Pickens).
Dybantsa (405 points), Saunders (346) and Wright (321) are the only Cougars who have appeared in all 18 games, with Dybantsa averaging 22.5 points, Saunders averaging 19.2 and Wright 17.8.
“Our team is built around those three guys,” Young said after the Cougars struggled to score early before racing past Delaware 85-68 on Nov. 11. “You know, I feel great when I wake up in the morning and know I am going to battle with those three guys.”
The Big 3’s emergence has longtime BYU basketball observers searching for the last time the Cougars had this prolific of a trifecta of players. Maybe it was in 1981, when Danny Ainge, Fred Roberts and Steve Trumbo led the Cougars to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight, where they fell to Ralph Sampson-led Virginia. Or was it in 2011, when Jimmer Fredette, Jackson Emery and Brandon Davies led them to a 27-2 record and No. 3 national ranking before Davies was suspended for the remainder of the season for violating the school’s honor code?
That group assembled 15 years ago, which also featured Charles Abouo, Noah Hartsock and Kyle Collinsworth, advanced to the Sweet 16 before losing in overtime to Florida.
“Richie, AJ and Rob get a lot of attention, for good reason,” Young said after Dybantsa (25), Saunders (18) and Wright (15) combined for 58 points in BYU’s 76-70 win over TCU. “They are just very smart players. They know how to play the game. They know how to play together. And I think every night, they are kind of growing their chemistry.”
“Richie is a great player in and of himself, and AJ is obviously a super talented player. Just to be able to have my name said alongside those guys, that’s super cool.”
— BYU guard Robert Wright III
That chemistry, and unselfish play, will have to continue to grow, Young said after the 84-71 loss at No. 15 Texas Tech, if the Cougars are going to contend for the Big 12 title. They also need more production and better 3-point shooting from fourth-leading scorer Kennard Davis, who is averaging 7.2 points and shooting 29.1% from beyond the arc.
And BYU’s bench, led by Mihailo Boskovic, Tyler Mrus, midseason acquisition Abdullah Ahmed and Khadim Mboup, has been virtually nonexistent in some games.
For now, though, the Big 3 should be celebrated, heading into two huge Big 12 games this weekend at the Marriott Center — Saturday against rival Utah (3:30 p.m. MST, Fox) and Monday against No. 1 Arizona (7 p.m. MST, ESPN).
“You have to pick your poison, but at the same time, the thing I love about our guys is they understand that they need each other,” Young said. “So they look for each other. They know where each other’s spots are, and I think that’s an area that we’ve really grown in. It is a huge luxury to have three guys that you feel like you can call their number and they’re going to get something done.”
Dybantsa and Wright each sat down for one-on-one interviews with the Deseret News this week to discuss where they and BYU are at the midpoint of the season, and how they developed into the unselfish players that they are.
Dybantsa has been as dynamic, durable and dominant as advertised
Although he struggled in BYU’s last outing, scoring a season-low 13 points in the loss at Texas Tech, Dybantsa has lived up to all the expectations that accompanied the 6-foot-9 freshman to Provo. He’s shooting 54.7% from the field, 30.2% from 3-point range and 76% from the free-throw line, while also averaging 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
As of Thursday, he was fifth in the nation in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game.
“I would be wrong if I said I wasn’t happy with the way the season is going, because we are 16-2,” Dybantsa said. “I do think the two losses were definitely two winnable games. For my standards, we should be undefeated. But it is better to lose early than to lose later. I am definitely excited to see how far we can go.”
Other than the losses to UConn and Texas Tech, when the Cougars lost a 9-point lead in the final eight minutes in Lubbock, Dybantsa said he wouldn’t change a thing about what will almost certainly be his only season of college basketball. He has “no regrets” about choosing to play at BYU, a decision that raised eyebrows throughout the college basketball world.
“I wouldn’t have chosen any other school, and I’m glad that I took the time and didn’t rush the recruitment process and (make) the wrong decision,” he said. “We have won every game but two. We’ve done it in the right manner, in a respectable manner. So besides those two losses, I think that we’re going pretty strong.”
As for the Big 3 moniker, Dybantsa said he’s fine with it. He enjoys sharing the spotlight with his teammates, particularly Saunders and Wright, whom he has known since they were 15.
“I mean, the Big 3 is cool to me, if it is cool to the other guys,” he said. “This is probably the best ‘Big 3’ I have been on, but I have been on teams in high school where there were other really good players considered a Big 3, for sure.”
Dybantsa said the unselfishness and chemistry within the Big 3 developed “organically” after Young and his staff put them on the same teams in summer workouts and practices.
“We kind of just figured out where each other wanted the ball, in what spots,” he said. “I think that we just all acknowledge each other’s abilities and notice what each of us can bring to the table differently. That’s benefiting all of us. That’s why we tend to be more unselfish towards each other.”
Dybantsa, who prides himself on being able to score at all three levels — beyond the arc, midrange and at the rim — said he hasn’t had to make any sacrifices within his own game to accommodate the others.
“I am a very adaptable player,” he said. “I have been playing with great players my whole life. I don’t really have to sacrifice a lot, playing with Rob and Richie and all these guys.”
Wright has had the right stuff for BYU
Wright said he hasn’t put much thought into the Big 3 nickname, but is “cool with it” and just grateful to be a part of it, after transferring in from Baylor.
“Richie is a great player in and of himself, and AJ is obviously a super talented player,” Wright said. “Just to be able to have my name said alongside those guys, that’s super cool.”
The native of Wilmington, Delaware, has played the most minutes on the team (34.1 mpg), just as he did at Baylor. He’s averaging 17.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists, while also shooting an impressive 44% from 3-point range (33 of 75).
Wright has been impressive since the opener, but has really turned up his game a notch in Big 12 play. Without him, BYU probably doesn’t beat Utah or Kansas State on the road. And his game-winning 3-pointer to beat Clemson in Madison Square Garden will live forever in BYU basketball lore.
“I think I’m just a playmaker. I’ve shown myself to be versatile. I’m able to do both (pass and score),” he said. “I just read the game go out and play. I don’t really predetermine what I’m about to do. I just try to give my team the best chance to win.”
In Big 12 play, Wright is second in the league in free-throw shooting percentage (89.7%) and second in minutes played (37.5 mpg). He’s fifth in points (22.2) per game and eighth in assists per game (4.8).
He said the Big 3 began developing a close bond over the summer, and strengthened it at the Big 12 media day in Kansas City. He also got to know Young better on a personal level at that event, he said.
“We’ve been playing together for months now, practicing together, getting in reps after reps,” he said. “Now we are in the conference a little bit, and developing that chemistry has really just helped us learn where each other likes to play, where we like to get the ball, different things like that that make us all effective.”
Wright said he’s known Dybantsa for a half-dozen or so years, but didn’t meet Saunders until he came to BYU. The stars didn’t talk when BYU edged Baylor 93-89 in overtime last year in Provo, but have had some in-depth conversations the past few months.
“Richie is just a great person, and a great leader,” Wright said. “When I came here to BYU, he just showed me the lay of the land, told me how things go. He was very welcoming and helped me transition into being a part of BYU.”
Now, he’s a big part of BYU, and a big part of the Big 3.
