KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Behind AJ Dybantsa’s 40 points and a barrage of second-half runs, the BYU defeated Kansas State 105-91 on Tuesday night in the first round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament at the T-Mobile Center.
"Just a hard-fought game," second-year head coach Kevin Young said. "Obviously a high-scoring game. They got off to a great start, were shooting the heck out of the 3. thought our guys did a good job of responding. I thought that run we made in the first half was critical for us to obviously cut the lead but then gain momentum. And we were able to get enough stops and string enough stops together there in the second half to get a spread. So it was a good game for us."
Dybantsa led BYU with 40 points to set the Big 12 tournament fresham scoring previously held by Texas' Kevin Durant. The Brockton, Mass. product went 15-of-21 from the field and 8-of-9 from the charity line, while adding nine rebounds, six assists and three steals. Additionally, his performance from tonight made him the 10th freshman in NCAA Division I history to score 800 or more points in a single season.
Kennard Davis Jr., Robert Wright III and Aleksej Kostic also reached double figures tonight. Davis Jr. knocked down four threes, all coming from the second half, while Wright III recorded 14 points, six assists and two rebounds. Kostic posted a trio of 3-balls.
Khadim Mboup nearly posted a double-double with his 14 rebounds and eight points. Mboup’s 14 rebounds are tied for the second-most in a conference tournament game in program history. The freshman also had two blocks while going 4-of-5 from the field.
The Cougars outshot the Wildcats 54.8% to 50.8% and outrebounded them 40-29. The 14-point victory was BYU’s largest margin in a win since a 104-76 victory over Arizona State on Jan. 7.
First Half
Keba Keita and Dybantsa got the Cougars on the board first to go up four, but the Wildcats answered with the next five points to take a 5-4 lead into the first media timeout.
Wildcat Nate Johnson made two 3-pointers in just more than one minute, while Wright III added two layups. BYU then engineered an 8-0 run, powered by 3-pointers from Dybantsa and Mihailo Boskovic. After another Johnson 3-pointer, the freshman-senior duo led a charge. Boskovic made a jumper and then denied a Kansas State attempt, which led to Dybantsa’s second 3-pointer of the game. BYU was up 23-18 with 11:45 left.
Immediately after a Dybantsa layup, Dominique Diomande forced a turnover, intercepted the ball and converted a layup. Dybantsa and Wright III added a dunk and a 3-pointer to give BYU a 10-point lead.
P.J. Haggerty knocked down two 3-pointers in less than 45 seconds to trim the Cougar advantage. After two Haggerty free throws and another Kansas State 3-pointer, the Wildcats took the lead with 5:22 left on an 11-0 run.
The Wildcats got hot in the paint to extend their lead, but Wright III converted an and-one layup. On Kansas State’s next possession, Davis Jr. grabbed the rebound and found Dybantsa for a dunk. Twenty-eight seconds later, the freshman stole the ball and dunked again off an assist from Wright III to cap a 7-0 run.
A STEAL AND A SLAM TO END THE HALF
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 10, 2026
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Second Half
In the opening 2:58 of the half, both Kostic and Davis Jr. made a pair of 3-pointers to regain the lead, 64-55. Dybantsa added back-to-back midrange buckets, but another Johnson 3-pointer cut into the Cougars’ advantage with 15:29 left.
The Wildcats hit another 3-pointer to cap a 6-0 spurt. After a BYU shot clock violation, Keita blocked a Johnson dunk attempt, and Davis Jr. grabbed the rebound and found Dybantsa for a fast-break dunk.
THE BLOCK.
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 11, 2026
THE PASS.
THE ANSWER.
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Davis Jr. put BYU up 73-67 with a corner 3-pointer. Dybantsa then converted an and-one layup. Kansas State cut its deficit to five with two free throws and a layup, but Diomande stopped the run with a steal and a fast-break layup. Davis Jr. added a layup to keep the lead at nine.
Mboup capped a 12-0 BYU spurt with two straight tip-in jumpers. Thirty-two seconds later, the Cougars powered another run, this time 6-0, to go up 23 with 4:07 remaining.
Kansas State went on an 8-2 run, but a pair of free throws and a 3-pointer from Kostic sealed the 105-91 win for BYU.
Up Next
The Cougars return to tournament action on Wednesday, March 11 in a 5 p.m. MST matchup against No. 7-seeded West Virginia. Watch live on ESPN2 or listen to live play-by-play with Greg Wrubell on BYU Radio.