No. 7 BYU, No. 3 Uconn set to battle in Beantown

PROVO, Utah - No. 7 BYU will play in a Top-10 showdown for the first time since 2011 when the Cougars take on No. 3 UConn at the Amica Insurance Hall of Fame Series Boston on Saturday evening. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at TD Garden. 

WHERE TO WATCH
Saturday's game will be broadcast on FOX with Brandon Gaudin and Bill Raftery on the call. 

YOU CAN ALWAYS GO HOME
Saturday will be a homecoming for AJ Dybantsa as the freshman grew up in Brockton, Mass., a 38-minute commute to TD Garden depending on traffic. He played his high school freshman season at San Sebastian's School where he was named the Massachusetts Boys' Gatorade Player of the Year. 

He averaged 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks per game en route to leading them to the NEPSAC Class A state championship where they lost to Milton Academy, 77-76. The McDonald's All-American would transfer to Prolific Prep for his sophomore and junior seasons before concluding his high school eligibility at Utah Prep.

 

 

 

CATS OR DOGS?!
Saturday will be the second all-time meeting between these programs whose only previous meeting took place in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Travis Hansen scored a game-high 21 points for the Cougars, but it wasnít enough as Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon combined for 24 points in a 58-53 victory for the Huskies on March 20, 2003 at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena.

Robert Wright III is the only player on BYU's roster who has faced off against the Huskies, as the guard had 22 points in a 76-72 setback during his freshman season at Baylor. He went 9-of-14 from the field, 1-of-3 from three and 3-of-5 from the free throw line en route to eclipsing the 20-point plateau for the first time in his career. He also had four assists, a steal and rebound in the game played at XL Center in Hartford, Conn.

DUNKIN' DYBANTSA
AJ Dybantsa is averaging 18.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 57.5 percent from the field in the first three games of his collegiate career. He is the second freshman in Big 12 history to average at least 18.0 points and 7.0 rebounds on 50 percent or better shooting through three career games, joining Kansas State's Michael Beasley in 2007-08.

“My life is just changing fast, and I made myself a promise that I won’t ever forget where I came from.”@AJ_Dybantsa’s story begins in Brockton, MA. Saturday, he comes home.https://t.co/FeJ7q7HFIl

— The Players’ Tribune (@PlayersTribune) November 13, 2025

BIG-TIME PLAYERS IN BIG-TIME GAMES
The Cougars went 5-5 against ranked opponents in 2024-25, which were the most ranked wins for the program since the 1950-51 season. Richie Saunders was a key part of that success as the 6-foot-5 guard averaged 18.7 points per game, shooting 51.3 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from 3-point range and 90.4 percent from the free throw line. 

After only scoring nine points in a loss at No. 14 Houston on Jan. 4, Saunders scored in double figures in the eight remaining games against ranked opponents, including back-to-back 25-point performances in the NCAA Tournament against No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 7 Alabama.  The senior has also made 33 straight free throws dating back to the Cougars' win over No. 19 Arizona at the Mckale Center. 

Keba Keita was equally impressive in big-time games last season as the senior averaged 8.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. He had a 14-point, 12-rebound double-double against No. 2 Houston in the Big 12 Championship semifinal a little more than a week after pulling down 15 rebounds, nine of those coming on the offensive glass, at No. 10 Iowa State.

LOOKING FOR A MARQUEE VICTORY
Saturday will be the first Top-10 matchup for the Cougars since March 12, 2011 when they fell 72-54 to No. 7 San Diego State in the Mountain West Championship game. They had won the previous two Top-10 matchups against the Aztecs that season before falling to them in Sin City. 

A win over the Huskies would be BYU's first win over a Top-5 team since February 22, 2020 in a 91-78 victory over No. 2 Gonzaga at the Marriott Center. The Cougars' last non-conference regular season win over a Top-5 team was a 79-75 victory over No. 2 UCLA on Nov. 27, 1981. 

A LONG WAY FROM HOME
Tuesday's win over Delaware was BYU's last game at the Marriott Center until December 13, when the Cougars play host to Nate Pickens' former school, UC Riverside. 

The Cougars will travel 13,958 miles during that time frame, with all six of the games taking place at neutral sites, as BYU isn't scheduled to play a true road game until its Big 12 opener on Jan. 3 at Kansas State. 

THE BIG 3
Richie Saunders, Robert Wright III and AJ Dybantsa accounted for 70 of BYU's 85 points on Tuesday. Through three games, the 'Big 3' have accounted for 66.7 percent of the scoring for the Cougars. BYU is the only NCAA Division I mens basketball program that has three players who are each averaging at least 18.0 points per game or more so far this season: Saunders (20.3), Dybantsa (18.7) and Wright III (18.3).