No. 13 BYU hosts No. 1 Arizona on Monday evening

Monday will be the third time in program history that the Cougars play host to a No. 1 team in the AP Poll.

Author Tyson Jex
No. 13 BYU hosts No. 1 Arizona on Monday eveningNo. 13 BYU hosts No. 1 Arizona on Monday evening

PROVO, Utah - ESPN's Big Monday is in town as No. 13 BYU hosts the top-ranked Wildcats of Arizona at the Marriott Center. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

WHERE TO WATCH
Monday's game will be broadcast on ESPN with Jon Sciambi, Fran Fraschilla and Angel Gray on the call.

ANT IT'S GOOD TO HAVE YOU WITH US, EVEN IF IT'S JUST FOR A DAY
Monday will be the first of two regular season meetings between BYU and Arizona this season with the Cougars scheduled to make the return trip to the McKale Center in Tucson on Wednesday, Jan. 18. 

Monday also marks the 42nd all-time meeting between two schools that were once rivals in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) from 1962-77. The Cougars are 20-21 all-time against the Wildcats including a 14-5 record in Provo. BYU actually won its first 12 homes games against Arizona including its first two matchups in the Marriott Center. 

The Cougars last loss at the Marriott Center came at the hands of Arizona on Feb. 4, 2025 where Jaden Bradley went 8-of-8 from the free throw line en roue 17 points leading the Wildcats to a 85-71 victory. BYU returned the favor on Feb. 22 where Richie Saunders scored a team-high 23 points including a pair of free throws in the final seconds to secure BYUís second straight win in Tucson.

TEACH 'EM HOW TO JIMMER
Monday is the 15th year anniversary of Jimmer Fredette's 43-point performance against Kwahi Leonard and San Diego State at the Marriott Center. Fredette went 14-of-24 from the field, 5-of-8 from three and 10-of-11 from the charity stripe in BYUís last Top 10 matchup in Provo. 

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PROTECT HOME COURT
As mentioned above, BYUís lost loss at the Marriott came at the paws of the Wildcats as they have rolled off 13 straight victories with nine of those wins coming this season. Including its current streak, BYU has more double digit wins streaks (13) since 2000 than they have consecutive losses (5). With their win over the Utes on Saturday, the Cougars have won 81.0 percent of their games at the Marriott Center since it was opened in 1971. 

During its current 13-game home win streak that began with a 80-65 victory over Kansas Sate on Feb. 15, 2025, BYU is outscoring opponents by 24.5 points per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the field, 35.8 percent from three and 75.9 percent from the free throw line. They have also scored 90 or more points in five of their last seven games at the Marriott Center including a 109-81 win over Eastern Washington. 

In its nine home games this season, BYU owns the fourth-highest Net Rating (39.9) and ninth-highest offensive rating (133.2) with the 17th highest effective field goal percentage (59.9). They also liked to get out in transition as they rank 11th in fast break points per game (20.3/game).

TO BE THE BEST, YOU HAVE TO BEAT THE BEST
BYU is 1-9 all-time against the No. 1 team in the country as Monday will be just the third time in program history that the Cougars host the top ranked in Provo. 

The Cougars lone win over a No. 1 team came against Gonzaga at The Kennel on Feb. 25, 2017. Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd was an assistant on Mark Few's staff that saw BYU overcome an early 16-point deficit to win 79-71. They outscored the Bulldogs 44-30 in the second half led by Eric Mika's 29-point, 11-rebound double-double to end the Zags bid for an undefeated season in the regular season finale. 

IT'S HIS WORLD
Saturday was a historic day in college basketball as three different freshman scored 40 points on the same day in the last 20 seasons with AJ Dybantsa finishing with 43 points. Illinois' Keaton Wagler scored 46 in a win at Purdue while Kingston Flemings had 43 in Houstonís road loss to Texas Tech. 

Dybantsa's 43 points broke Danny Ainge's record that had stood since December 1977 when he scored 36 a Idaho State. It is also tied for the eighth-most points scored by a Cougar in program history. He went 15-of-24 from the field in the win over the Utes, both freshman records for field goal makes and attempts. In just 19 games at BYU, Dybantsa owns three of the top six scoring performances by a freshman. 

With his performance on Saturday, Dybantsa moved from sixth to fourth on the freshman scoring list passing Mekeli Wesley and Mark Bigelow. Through 19 games, Dybantsa is on pace to break Aingeís freshman record as he has a 28 point cushion heading into Monday's showdown against No .1 Arizona.

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IF YOU COME FOR THE KING, YOU BETTER NOT MISS
Second-year head coach Kevin Young is 24-2 at the Marriott Center and a large part of that success has been the play of Richie Saunders as the senior is averaging 17.6 points per game since the former associate head coach for the Phoenix Suns came to Provo. Saunders is shooting 53.0 percent from the field ,44.3 percent from three and 81.8 percent from the free throe line. He has scored in double figures in 17 straight games at the Marriott Center including a career-high 31-point performance against Arizona State earlier this season. 

PROCEED WITH CAUTION
With five blocks against Utah on Saturday, BYU now has 94 blocks on the season. If the season ended today, their 4.9 blocks per game would be the second-highest in program history trailing only the 1990-91 team that saw Shawn Bradley record the eighth-most blocks in a single season in NCAA history (177). 

As of Saturday morning, BYU ranks 27thin NCAA Division I menís basketball in blocks per game (4.9/game). Since 2001, BYU has only ranked in the Top 50 nationally in blocks (2016-17; 4.6/game).

IF LOVING YOU IS WRONG, I DON'T WANT TO BE (W)RIGHT
Monday will the be the 55th game of Robert Wright III's collegiate career and the sophomore has only been held scoreless once, 74-67 setback to Arizona on Feb. 17, 2025 during his freshman season at Baylor. In 26 minutes, Wright III went 0-of-6 from the field including missing his only attempt from behind the arc. He also had four assists and a steal against the Wildcats. 

19 games into his sophomore season, Wright III is averaging a career-high 18.0 points per game while shooting 48.0 percent from the field, 44.9 percent from three and 82.4 percent from the free throw. The native of Wilmington, Del. has already knocked down 35 3-pointers, four more than he hit in 35 appearances as a freshman at Baylor. He has also knocked down at least one 3-pointer in 17 straight games.