byu basketball

3 takeaways from BYU’s loss to Houston in the Big 12 tournament

Published: March 12, 2026, 7:41 p.m. MDT

Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) and BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) dive for a loose ball during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Jackson has been writing about sports for the Deseret News since 2023.

BYU’s time in this year’s Big 12 tournament has run out.

Despite leading at halftime, the Cougars faded down the stretch and fell 73-66 to Houston in Thursday’s quarterfinal action.

BYU is now 23-11 on the season and 11-10 against Big 12 foes.

Hard-fought battle.

While our Big 12 Tournament run comes to an end, there’s more basketball to play this season. pic.twitter.com/GWRM1hy3Zv
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 13, 2026

3 takeaways

BYU broke down in the second half. At halftime, the Cougars led by four points, appearing capable of scoring what would be an impressive upset.

But playing three games in three days finally caught up to BYU.

The Cougars shot just 9 of 28 (32%) from the field after halftime, coughing up nine turnovers while being outscored 36-25 by Houston.

Upon surrendering the lead with just under 11 minutes to play, BYU trailed for the remainder of the night.

AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright III, who scored 28 combined points in the first half, shot 4 for 17 with 13 total points after halftime.

Kennard Davis Jr., who was averaging more than 17 points per game in his past three contests, didn’t hit any of his five field goal attempts in the second half.

BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) defends Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) as he drives to the basket during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) dribbles the ball up court during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars center Chris Cenac Jr. (5) celebrates after a scoring during the first half of the game against BYU during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) looks to pass around BYU guard Aleksej Kostić (6) during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) drives past Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) for a layup during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars center Chris Cenac Jr. (5) and BYU center Keba Keita (13) battle for a loose ball during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward Khadim Mboup (7) defends Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) talks with BYU center Abdullah Ahmed (34) as they take the court after a timeout during the first half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) shoots a jump shot during the first half against BYU during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) collides with Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) as he drives to the basket during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) drives to the basket against Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward Dominique Diomande (24) and Houston Cougars guard Mercy Miller (25) reach for a loose ball after a foul on Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson tells his players to be smart during the first half of the game against BYU during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

A detail of the court during the quarterfinal between BYU and the Houston Cougars during the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) reacts after a 3-pointer during the first half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) is fouled as he drives to the basket between Houston Cougars center Chris Cenac Jr. (5) and Houston Cougars guard Mercy Miller (25) during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) and forward AJ Dybantsa (3) celebrate after a basket during the first half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU center Keba Keita (13) dunks over Houston Cougars center Chris Cenac Jr. (5) during the second half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) looks to pass around BYU forward Dominique Diomande (24) during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) drives to the basket for a layup against Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) during the first half of the the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) and Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) fight for a rebound during the second half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) drives to the basket against Houston Cougars guard Mercy Miller (25) during the second half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU head coach Kevin Young calls put to his players during the second half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) reacts after not getting a call during the second half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) reacts after a hard fall while fighting for a loose ball during the second half of the game against BYU during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Sweat drips down the face of BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) as hydrates during a time out during the second half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) dribbles against BYU forward Khadim Mboup (7) during the second half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson reacts to one of his players being called for a foul during the second half of the game against BYU during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU guard Aleksej Kostić (6) shoots a three-pointer during the second half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars forward Chase McCarty (24) celebrates after hitting a three-pointer late in the second half to pull away from BYU during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Kansas City Chiefs head coach and BYU alumni Andy Ried attends the quarterfinal game between BYU and the Houston Cougars during the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars guard Kingston Flemings (4) celebrates after scoring a three-pointer late in the second half of the game against BYU during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

From left, BYU guard Robert Wright III (1), forward AJ Dybantsa (3) and head coach Kevin Young look on during a press conference after losing to Houston Cougars 73-66 in quarterfinals of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU head coach Kevin Young looks on during a press conference after losing to Houston Cougars 73-66 in quarterfinals of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) looks on during a press conference after losing to Houston Cougars 73-66 in quarterfinals of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) looks to pass around Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) during the second half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) makes a face as collides with Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) during the second half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars guard Milos Uzan (7) shoots a three-pointer over BYU forward Khadim Mboup (7) during the second half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson yells to his players during the first half of the game against BYU during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU center Keba Keita (13) drives past Houston Cougars forward Joseph Tugler (11) during the first half of the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward Dominique Diomande (24) celebrates after dunking during the first half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) celebrates with forward AJ Dybantsa (3) after a play during the first half against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) dunks during the first half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

BYU forward Dominique Diomande (24) dunks during the first half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the quarterfinal of the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, on Thursday, March 12, 2026. | Rio Giancarlo, Deseret News

The Cougars defended well again. After allowing just 48 points Wednesday against West Virginia, BYU put up another admirable defensive performance Thursday that it can build on moving forward in the NCAA Tournament.

Dominique Diomande swiped three steals for the third straight game, Keba Keita swatted a pair of blocks and both Dybantsa and Davis logged five stops.

Houston managed just 1.09 points per possession against the blue Cougars, shooting less than 45% from the field, under 30% from 3-point range and missing seven layups.

BYU also forced 16 Houston turnovers, but BYU’s own turnovers proved costly, as Houston scored 19 points from 18 BYU fumbles.

Additionally, Houston won the rebound battle by a 37-30 margin, despite Keita’s 13 boards and seven grabs off the offensive glass.

BYU did exactly what it needed to do in the Big 12 tournament. Yes, the Cougars lost in the quarterfinals, but it’s hard to imagine a more encouraging 3-game stretch for Kevin Young’s crew in Kansas City.

In Tuesday’s first round, BYU scored 105 points — the highest total in the tournament’s history.

Against West Virginia in Wednesday’s second round, the Cougars played their best defense of the season in allowing just 48 Mountaineer points.

And despite falling to Houston on Thursday, BYU went toe to toe with a legitimate national championship contender, playing solid defense and looking the part offensively until obvious and understandable fatigue set in late.

BYU now has a clear identity on both sides of the ball. Dybantsa, who broke Kevin Durant’s record for most points scored in a single Big 12 tournament, rose to the occasion and proved capable of willing the Cougars to victory.

Comments

Additionally, Wright enjoyed flashes of brilliance, Diomande emerged as a defensive weapon off the bench and Davis and Aleksej Kostic hit some big shots.

Even without Richie Saunders, BYU is clicking together at a high level — and at the perfect time.

The Cougars, likely locked in as a 6 seed in the Big Dance, will enjoy a much-needed week off before beginning their NCAA tournament run next Thursday.

They’ll learn Sunday afternoon who they’ll face in the Round of 64.

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