KANSAS CITY — Newly minted Big 12 Freshman of the Year AJ Dybantsa and all-Big 12 running mate Rob Wright combined to score 48 points in BYU’s 82-76 breakthrough win over No. 10 Texas Tech last Saturday at the Marriott Center.
But the unranked Cougars probably would not have pulled off the much-needed victory if role players such as Kennard Davis Jr. and Keba Keita hadn’t broken out and stepped up with some of their best games of the season. Davis had 16 points on 6 of 12 shooting and Keita had nine points and 11 rebounds as the Cougars beat the Red Raiders for the first time ever in a Big 12 game.
More of the same will be needed, coach Kevin Young said Monday, if the Cougars (9-9, 21-10) hope to make a run in the Big 12 tournament, which begins Tuesday at T-Mobile Center in downtown Kansas City. BYU will have to win five games in five days to claim its first Big 12 title, a seemingly impossible task given the shortness of Young’s bench.
But first things first. Tenth-seeded BYU opens the tournament by meeting No. 15 seed Kansas State (3-15, 12-19) at 5 p.m. MDT in a rematch of the Cougars’ 83-73 win at Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan on Jan. 3. A win would propel BYU into a second-round game against No. 7 seed West Virginia on Wednesday.
“This time of year, you want to keep guys as fresh as possible, mentally and physically. So a little bit of a ‘less-is-more’ approach is what we’re doing,” Young told KSL Sports. “Freshness this time of year is really what’s most important, and being able to play extremely hard, and not get too hung up on anything other than those things.”
Young said Monday afternoon from the Marriott Downtown East Tower in Kansas City that the Cougars expect every player who played Saturday to be available to play Tuesday. That’s significant, considering that Keita limped off the court late after shining defensively against the Red Raiders.
“Yeah, he looks fine. I think everybody is playing through injuries. Everyone is kinda banged up at this time of year. But he looks good,” Young told reporters.
Monday, Dybantsa became the seventh player in BYU history to earn Freshman of the Year accolades, the first since Jonathan Tavernari in 2006-07. Richie Saunders, who missed the final five league games after sustaining a season-ending ACL injury early against Colorado on Feb. 14, earned All-Big 12 second-team honors. Wright was put on the All-Big 12 third team, after earning honorable mention recognition last year when he played for Baylor.
“I am happy for (Dybantsa),” Young said. “I am happy for Richie and Rob, named to the all-league team. Well-deserved honors for all of them. It is a testament to the rest of the guys who were able to help them win those awards. I think individual awards are team awards as well. So, happy for our guys to get recognized.”
During Saturday’s game, Saunders sat at the end of the BYU bench, and could often be seen coaching up his teammates during breaks and timeouts. Young said that one of the most beloved players in BYU basketball history has accompanied the team to Kansas City.
“Coach Richie is activated, yes he is. He was great the other night. That is what is great about team sports, man. And it is not just Richie. It is other guys who are hurt. We got a guy or two that is out of the rotation, but everybody is invested in trying to give input and trying to do what they can to help the team win,” Young said.
BYU is 6-5 all-time vs. KSU, including 1-2 in neutral-site games. The Cougars are 6-1 in neutral-site games this season, the most neutral-site wins in the country entering postseason play.
Kansas State’s campus is only about a two-hour drive from T-Mobile Center, but the Wildcats fired their coach a few weeks ago and have had one of their worst seasons in years. Hence, not as many K-State fans as usual will be present in Kansas City.
A big question for the Cougars is whether they can carry the confidence they showed against Tech in front of 18,000 pro-BYU fans into a more sterile environment in Kansas City.
“I think the reason (why) we won that game was the effort was probably as good as it’s been all season long,” Young said. “I thought we made a lot of simple plays offensively. And then, our commitment to rebounds and some things we’ve been talking about all year (happened). I think that that gives the guys confidence, because of how we were able to get that win.”
Young said the bulk of the focus right now is on Kansas State and leading scorer PJ Haggerty, who is No. 4 in the country in scoring with a 23.3 average. Dybantsa leads the country in scoring at 24.7 points per game.
“I haven’t really even sunk my teeth into what (the Big 12 bracket) really looks like,” Young said. “This time of year, you have to really just focus on what’s in front of you, which we are.
“Obviously our staff is doing a lot of the legwork behind the scenes, as far as scouting the potential upcoming games,” he continued. “But we are trying to keep our guys focused on the task at hand right now.”