BYU faces West Virginia in second round of Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - BYU returns to action in the second round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, March 11, when the Cougars take on West Virginia. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. 

WHERE TO WATCH
Wednesday's second-round game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Jon "Boog" Sciambi, Fran Fraschilla and Angel Gray on the call. 

THAT JOHN DENVER WAS FULL OF...
Wednesday will be the seventh all-time meeting between the two schools and the second in the past 11 days. The Cougars are 4-2 all-time against the Mountaineers, including a victory in their only previous meeting at a neutral site back in 1973 at the Far West Classic in Portland, Oregon. 

In their only meeting this season, West Virginia dominated the offensive glass en route to a 79-71 victory at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown on Feb. 28. The Cougars were unable to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit as the Mountaineers turned 18 offensive rebounds into 15 second-chance points in their first win over the Cougars since 1947.

Robert Wright III scored a game-high 23 points in the setback as the sophomore went 7-of-15 from the field, 2-of-5 from three and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. He also had a team-high four assists. AJ Dybantsa finished with 20 points and seven rebounds while Aleskej Kostic scored all 12 of BYUís bench points, going 4-of-8 from behind the arc. 

KING OF THE MOUNTAIN
BYU advanced to the second round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament with a 105-91 victory over Kansas State on Tuesday evening at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The Cougars now lead the all-time series 7-5, including a 2-0 record at neutral sites. 

The Cougars have now won 12 straight when scoring more than 100 points in a game as they shot 54.8 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from three and 77.8 percent from the free throw line. They also scored 50 of their 105 points in the paint while turning 13 turnovers into 19 second-chance points. 

A day after being named the league's freshman of the year, AJ Dybantsa scored a Big 12 Tournament freshman record 40 points as the 6-foot-9 forward went 15-of-21 from the field, 2-of-6 from three and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. He also had nine rebounds, six assists and three steals as BYU broke the tournament record for points scored in a game. Kennard Davis Jr. scored in double figures for a second straight game as the junior finished with 15 points, knocking down four 3-pointers. Robert Wright III chipped in 14 points, with Aleksej Kostic knocking down three 3-pointers to finish with 13 points. 

MBOUP THERE IT IS
Redshirt freshman Khadim Mboup pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds, six of those coming on the offensive glass in Tuesday's win. The Cougars are now a perfect 5-0 on the season when the forward has 10 or more rebounds.

IT'S A MAJOR AWARD
AJ Dybantsa became the seventh player in program history to be named the Freshman of the Year, and first since 2006-07, the Big 12 announced on Monday afternoon. 

BIG 12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR pic.twitter.com/k2fqC0lLIE

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 9, 2026

The 6-foot-9 forward also earned First Team All-Big 12 and All-Freshman Team accolades after averaging 24.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He also shot 51.2 percent from the field, 33.9 percent from three and 75.3 percent from the free throw line during the regular season. Dybantsa scored 20 or more points in 16 of 18 league contests.

SHOOT UNTIL YOU MISS
After going 3-of-3 from the free-throw line on Tuesday, Robert Wright III has made 21 straight free throws. 

KEEP THE GOOD TIMES ROLLING
The Cougars are 7-1 in neutral site games this season, including six straight wins, which is their longest streak since winning five straight from Nov. 26 to Dec. 11, 2010. 

With the game on Tuesday, BYU has played neutral site games in six different states, including three games in NBA arenas (TD Garden, Madison Square Garden, Delta Center)

'MOO'VING RIGHT ALONG
After going 4-of-9 from 3-point range on Tuesday, Kennard Davis Jr. has connected on at least one 3-pointer in eight straight games, the longest streak of his BYU career. 

The junior from St. Louis has scored in double figures 10 times, four of those coming in the past seven games, highlighted by a 17-point performance in the Cougars' win over No. 10 Texas Tech last Saturday in Provo.

BATMAN AND ROBIN
With eight points from Robert Wright III on Wednesday, AJ Dybantsa and Wright III would become the fifth duo in program history with 600 points in a single season in program history.

It would also make the duo the 12th pairing in Big 12 history with multiple 600-point scorers and first since UCF last season with Darius Johnson (644) and Keyshawn Hall (620). 

They would also become the second pair of teammates in Big 12 history to each have 600 points and 100 assists in the same season. The only duo was Kansas State's Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente in 2009-10.