PROVO, Utah – BYU’s AJ Dybantsa was one of 25 players named to the preseason watch list for the 2025-26 Wayman Tisdale Award announced by the board of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
Since the 1988-89 season, the USBWA has named a men's freshman national player of the year, and since the 2010-11 season the award has been named for Wayman Tisdale, the late Oklahoma All-American. The award is voted on by the entire membership of the association and is based on regular-season performance.
"The Wayman Tisdale Freshman of the Year Award could be in for a phenomenal race," said 2025-26 USBWA President Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. "In some years, finding 25 freshmen to fill out a Watch List at the start of the season proves a little difficult due to uncertainty with impact and playing time. Not this year. This is as loaded of a list as we've ever had heading into a season. The USBWA is proud to reveal our first Watch List for 2025-26 and eager to see which newcomers show out and uplift the sport in the months to come."
Dybantsa, the nation’s top recruit according to ESPN, opened his collegiate career on Monday with a 21-point performance in No. 8 BYU’s 71-66 win over Villanova at the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas. He went 9-of-18 from the field, 1-of-1 from 3-point range and 2-of-7 from the free throw line en route to becoming the fifth freshman in program history to score 20 or more points in their collegiate debut. He also had six rebounds and three assists in helping BYU win its seventh straight season opener.
cinema 🤌 pic.twitter.com/2M8an9lwWW
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) November 6, 2025
The Cougars return to action on Saturday, Nov. 8, when they host Holy Cross in their home opener. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.