PROVO, Utah — BYU’s AJ Dybantsta was selected as a member of 2025-26 The Sporting News All-America First Team, the publication announced on Wednesday morning.
The 6-foot-9 forward becomes the first Cougar to be earn first team All-American accolades since Jimmer Fredette in 2010-11 when was a consensus All-American and national player of the player.
| 2025-26 The Sporting News All-America First Team | |
| AJ Dybantsa | BYU |
| Yaxel Lendeborg | Michigan |
| Darius Acuff Jr. | Arkansas |
| Cameron Boozer | Duke |
| Joshua Jefferson | Iowa State |
The Sporting News All-America team is one of four used in calculation the NCAA consensus All-America squad.
Dybantsa continues to lead the nation in scoring at 25.2 points per game following his record-breaking performance in the opening round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament on Tuesday evening. He finished with a Big 12 Tournament freshman record 40 points in BYU’s 105-91 victory over Kansas State going 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 in 37 minutes of action.
AJ Dybantsa in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament:
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) March 11, 2026
🏀 First player ever with 35 PTS & 5 AST in the tournament
🏀 Second-most PTS in tournament history
🏀 Most career 35-point games in Big 12 history pic.twitter.com/92rnESWGns
The native of Brockton, Mass. is one of 10 NCAA Division I men’s basketball freshman to have scored 800 points in a season, having scored in double figures in all 32 games of his career including 25 20-point performances, seven 30-point performances and a pair of 40-point outbursts. He is shooting 52.0 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from behind the arc and 75.7 percent from the free throw line.
The Big 12 Freshman of the Year recorded just the second 30/10/10 triple-double in conference history and first of the points/rebounds/assists variety in the Cougars' win over Eastern Washington going for 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Less than a month later he would break BYU’s freshman single-game scoring record against Utah at the Marriott Center, finishing with 43 points.
Dybantsa and the Cougars return to action later this evening when they face West Virginia in the second round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.