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These are the expected closing days of seeing AJ Dybantsa in a BYU uniform. Despite some teasing that he might return next year, most experts believe that posturing is more strategic to keep his options open and discouraging a team like the Sacramento Kings — the New York Jets of the NBA — from locking him down in the upcoming draft.
With the lottery in play, it’s anyone’s guess who will have the No. 1 pick and when a player is taken, with late-minute trades in play. Dybantsa has little to say about what team he’ll end up with — except if he comes back to BYU. One mock draft has Dybantsa going No. 1 to Portland. But an AI-oriented mock draft by USA Today has Dybantsa going No. 1 to Sacramento.
Ick.
Thus, in my opinion, Dybantsa is throwing out the idea that he’ll stay. Sacramento is where Jimmer Fredette went to languish. It’s not a good landing spot. Here is an Aaron Torres podcast that explains why a top player like Dybantsa might return to play a second year, as speculation simmers. He says a shoe company like Nike has resources to keep Dybantsa in play as a college player if they believe their rate of return is better with his exposure.
So, these are the days BYU fans should enjoy seeing this generational talent complete his first season as a Cougar.
To wit, so far, here is the recognition given to Dybantsa, the nation’s leading scorer heading into postseason play:
- Big 12 Freshman of the Year
- All-Big 12 First Team
- Big 12 All-Freshman Team
- USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week (Feb. 24)
- Lute Olson Award National Player of the Week (Dec. 15)
- Two-time Big 12 Player of the Week (Dec. 30, 2025, Feb. 23)
- Six-time Big 12 Newcomer of the Week (Dec. 30, Jan. 5, Jan. 26, Feb. 9, Feb. 16, Feb. 23)
- Eleven-time Big 12 Starting Five (Nov. 10, Nov. 17, Dec. 15, Dec. 22, Dec. 30, Jan. 5, Jan. 26, Feb. 9, Feb. 16, Feb. 23, March 9)
- USBWA Oscar Robertson High-Major Player of the Month (December)
- USBWA/CBS Sports Freshman of the Week (Dec. 16)
- Naismith Player of the Week (Jan. 26)
- Dickie V’s Diaper Dandy of the Week (Feb. 23)
- Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Mid Season Top 10 List
- Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List
- Wooden Award Late Midseason Top 20 Watch List
- Wooden Award Men’s National Ballot
- Wayman Tisdale Award Midseason Watch List
- Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List
- Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Late-Season Trophy Team
Here are some of his records set as a Cougar freshman:
- Joined Jimmer Fredette as the only Cougars in program history to be named AP Preseason All-American
- One of five freshmen in program history to score 20 or more points in collegiate debut
- First player in program history with 30/10/10 triple-double (against Eastern Washington)
- Most free throws made (17) and attempted (20) in a game by a freshman in program history
- Most field goal attempts by a freshman in program history (28 at Arizona)
- Most free throws made and attempted in a season by a freshman in program history
- Highest points-to-field goal attempts rate (2.92:1, vs. Abilene Christian)
- Most 30-point games by a freshman (6)
- Most 20-point games by a freshman (20)
- Forty-three points in win over Utah on Jan. 24, 2026, are most by a freshman in program history
- Also set freshman records for field goal makes in win over Utes
- Freshman all-time leading scorer
Question of the week
AJ Dybantsa earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year this week. What do you make of his expected one-and-done BYU experiment? What will we remember of his season, and what does it mean for the future of Cougar basketball?
Jay Drew: First, I will say this: AJ Dybantsa was robbed of Big 12 Player of the Year honors. The BYU freshman earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and first-team honors, but in my opinion, he was more deserving of Player of the Year than the winner, Arizona’s Jaden Bradley.
Sure, Bradley’s team won the Big 12 title, and Dybantsa’s team finished tied for seventh in the league. But this is an individual honor, and Dybantsa’s stats were better than Bradley’s. Just my two cents.
As far as the Dybantsa “experiment” at BYU goes, I have to say that it was a resounding success, regardless of how far the Cougars go in postseason play. The Brockton, Massachusetts, native leads the country in scoring, has broken all kinds of freshman records at BYU, and has pretty much put the Cougars on the college basketball map.
Off the court, he’s been a tremendous force for good, and brought respect to BYU and the BYU brand, as well as the faith that supports the school. I still expect Dybantsa to be a one-and-done guy — last week’s waffling on a Deseret News podcast was just typical playerspeak, as it were.
So what if Dybantsa doesn’t lead the Cougars to the Final Four? His impact in Provo will be felt for years, and he lifted the program into the national spotlight, even more than Jimmer Fredette did.
Then there is the scheduling aspect. One of the reasons why BYU has maintained a relatively high NET ranking is because of its nonconference schedule, and Dybantsa was the reason coach Kevin Young was able to put together such a strong slate in the 2025-26 season.
There is already proof that Dybantsa’s short tenure at BYU is bearing fruit. That’s evidenced by the Cougars getting a commitment from another five-star prospect with no other ties to the school — Bruce Branch III.
Dick Harmon: Since we’re weighing in on Player of the Year in the Big 12, Dybantsa or JT Toppin from Texas Tech should have had that honor. Playing for the champ, Arizona, doesn’t qualify Bradley for this individual honor. His stats were nowhere near Dybantsa or Toppin and he never received the defensive attention of those two. Dybantsa ended up the nation’s leading scorer and will be a first-team All-American but not Big 12 Player of the Year?
Dybantsa was 11 times honored as a member of the Big 12’s Starting Five, a weekly award. There is no comparison in the statistics or defensive pressure faced by Bradley over Dybantsa.
Bradley | Dybantsa
- 13.4 ppg | 24.7 ppg
- 3.5 rpg | 6.7 rpg
- 4.6 apg | 3.8 apg
This is a Big 12 failure.
Dybantsa was worth the investment by BYU’s funding interests and coaching staff. He not only delivered on the court, but his persona, his marketing brand and media attention were Madison Avenue-type public relations that money can’t buy.
Dybantsa’s record-breaking freshman year also made a statement to top national recruits that it is permissible, OK and even desired to consider coming to Provo to play college ball. It is the second year in a row BYU acquired the service of an elite five-star player after Egor Demin was drafted No. 8 by Brooklyn. This isn’t a fluke; it is a trend under Kevin Young.
As Kentucky is rumored to be letting Mark Pope go, the hiring of Young appears to have been a brilliant move.
Cougar tales
With spring football in full swing, here is a breakdown of new roster additions by coordinators Aaron Roderick and Kelly Poppinga. Here is a roundup of QB Bear Bachmeier’s spring practice from Provo Daily Herald sportswriter Brandon Gurney.
From the archives
From X-verse
- Dybantsa first team All-American (@Fieldof68)
- Big 12 snubs Dybantsa (@Stacy21king)
- Superstar keeps teasing media, fans (@BYUtvsportsnation)
Extra points
- Former Cougars sign NFL deals (KSLsports)
- After TT win, room for optimism (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Could injured All-Star team win it all? (Deseret News)
Fanalysts
Comments from Deseret News readers:
Every team is a danger from here on out. I love watching the scores. Five-win teams have been winning in their tournaments. It’s a new season for all. KSU scored 85 at Kansas. BYU better bring that defensive energy again or they’ll be upset.
Cincy is my Cinderella pick for this tournament. TCU is next. Boy have both looked great lately.
— RR
Still perplexed by BYU’s continued poor 3-point shooting and defense. Maybe playing an NBA style defense isn’t best for these guys. Improving on the total turnovers appears to be what made the difference in this game.
Very happy for BYU. I hope they can win at least 1 game in the NCAA tournament.
— Back Talk
Up next
- March 11 | 5 p.m. | Big 12 tournament | vs. West Virginia
- March 12 | noon | men’s tennis | Cincinnati
- March 12 | 3 p.m. | baseball | Cincinnati
- March 12 | 5 p.m. | men’s tennis | Arizona
- March 13 | 10 a.m. | men’s track and field | NCAA Indoor Championships, Fayetteville
- March 13 | 11 a.m. | softball | Omaha, St. George
- March 13 | 2 p.m. | softball | Utah Tech
- March 13 | 3 p.m. | baseball | Cincinnati
- March 13 | 4 p.m. | gymnastics | @ Clemson
- March 13 | 7 p.m. | men’s volleyball | @ Stanford
- March 13 | 10 a.m. | women’s track and field | NCAA Championships
- March 14 | 1 p.m. | women’s tennis | Omaha
- March 14 | 1 p.m. | baseball | Cincinnati
- March 14 | 3:30 p.m. | men’s tennis | Oklahoma State
- March 14 | 6 p.m. | men’s volleyball | @ Stanford