IRVING, Texas – BYU men’s basketball was picked to finish second in the Big 12 with Richie Saunders and AJ Dybantsa being named to preseason all-conference team.
Two-time defending champions Houston were picked to win the league with 224 points and 14 of the 16 first-place votes. BYU comes in at second with 204 points and a first-place vote marking the first time since 2021-22 that the Cougars had an opposing coach pick them to finish atop the league standings.
Texas Tech (200) comes in at third with Arizona (179) in fourth, Iowa State (170) in fifth and Kansas (163) in sixth while Baylor (137), Cincinnati (120), Kansas State (117) and TCU (90) round of the Top 10.
Saunders returns for his senior season after earning First Team All-Big 12 accolades last season, after leading the Cougars to their first Sweet 16 appearance in more than a decade. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged a team-high 16.5 points per game in 2024-25, shooting 51.8 percent from the field, 43.2 percent from three and 83.5 percent from the free throw line.
I love @AJ_Dybantsa. The @BYUMBB frosh is a future @NBA star. But most important player on this team is Ore-Ida spokesman, Richie Saunders. He’s much more than a great shooter, but still fun to highlight what that jumper looks like. @coach_paint pic.twitter.com/k5Goy33Qxt
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) September 19, 2025
In Big 12 play, Saunders ranked fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.9 points per game as the Cougars won their final eight games of the regular season to finish in a tie for third after being picked ninth in the preseason poll. He shot a conference-best 45.1 percent from behind the arc, including three games with six triples.
Dybantsa was one of four unanimous selections to the all-league team as the freshman is coming off a summer where he was named the MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup, leading Team USA to a gold medal. The 6-foot-9 forward finished his high school career as the No. 1 recruit in the country (ESPN), McDonald’s All-American and two-time participant in the Nike Hoop Summit, highlighted by a 24-point performance in Team USA’s overtime victory in 2025.
AJ Dybantsa made his BYU debut tonight at Marriott Madness 🔥 @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/yGdZqWHRBz
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) October 10, 2025
The Cougars take the court on Saturday, Oct. 18, with an exhibition against Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. Tip is scheduled for Noon CT on B1G+.