KANSAS CITY, Mo. - BYU's run at the Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's' Basketball Tournament continues on Thursday, March 12, when the Cougars face No. 5 Houston. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
WHERE TO WATCH Thursday's quarterfinal will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Jon 'Boog' Sciambi, Fran Fraschilla and Angel Gray on the call.
GETTING RECOGNIZED Wednesday was a busy day for AJ Dybantsa as he was named a All-American for a first time while being named a finalist to multiple awards. He was named to The Sporting News All America First Team making him the first Cougar to be earn first team accolades since Jimmer Fredette.
The nation's leading scorer was also named a finalist for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year, Lute Olson Award (top player in NCAA Division I menís basketball) and Kyle Macy Award (top freshman in NCAA Division I menís basketball).
GOT MY MONEY ON THE COUGARS IN THIS ONE Thursday will be the 13th all-time meeting between the Cougars with Houston leading the all-time series 9-3. The quarterfinal will also be the third time they have met on a neutral floor and second straight season at the Big 12 Tournament.
BYU is 0-4 against Houston since joining the Big 12 including a 77-66 setback in their only meeting this season on Feb. 7 at the Marriott Center. In its fourth straight loss to Houston, BYU shot 39.5 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from three and 57.1 percent from the free throw line while only turning the ball over six times.
AJ Dybantsa scored a game-high 28 points for the Cougars going 9-of-14 from the field, 3-of-4 from 3-point range and 7-of-12 from the free throw line. He also had five rebounds, four assists and a block. Robert Wright III had 17 points knocking down all three of his attempts from behind the arc. Kingston Flemings was one of four Cougars to score in double figures as the freshman finished with 19 points, five assists and five rebounds.
KING OF THE MOUNTAIN BYU advanced to Thursday's quarterfinal with a 68-48 victory over West Virginia, who had beaten the Cougars 79-71 just 11 days ago at Hope Coliseum in Morgantown. The Cougars are now 5-2 all-time against the Mountaineers including a 2-0 record at neutral sites.
The visitors on the scoreboard shot 45.9 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from behind the arc and 60.0 percent form the free throw line. They forced 22 turnovers which resulted in 12 second chance points while outrebounding the Mountaineers 35-30 including a 16-10 on the offensive glass.
AJ Dybantsa extended his 20-point streak to 12 games as the newly minted All-American scored a game-high 27 points going 11-of-24 from the field, 0-of-3 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also had seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. Kennard Davis Jr. scored a season-high 20 points as the junior tied a career-high with five 3-pointers. Robert Wright III was the third and final Cougar in double figures as the sophomore had 11 points and six assists in 35 minutes of action.
MR. 1000 With his 11-point performance on Wednesday, Robert Wright IIIbecame the third Cougar to score over 1,000 points in their collegiate career joining Richie Saunders and Dawson Baker.
After scoring 403 points last season as a freshman, Wright III has 603 points in 33 games in 2025-26 including 13 games with 20-plus including four straight before missing most of the second half in Tuesdayís win over Kansas State. He isnít only scoring at a higher level as the sophomore is shooting 47.1 percent from the field, 41.4 percent from three and 82.9 percent from the free throw line after shooting 41.4/35.2/79.6 last season.
READY FOR THE FIGHT BYU will look to win its third straight game over a ranked opponent on Thursday after defeating No. 6 Iowa State and No. 10 Texas Tech in two of its final three home games of the season.
The Cougars are 8-11 under second-year head coach Kevin Young with four of those wins coming in March. Youngís eight ranked wins are tied for the third-most in program history with Mark Pope and LaDell Anderson.
A win over Houston would be the Cougars first over a Top 5 opponent since Feb. 22, 2020 against No. 2 Gonzaga.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME BYU is 8-1 in neutral site games this season following Wednesday's win over West Virginia. The Cougars seven straight victories on neutral courts is the longest streak for the program since winning five straight from Nov. 26 - Dec. 11, 2010.
SO YOU ARE SAYING THERE IS A CHANCE? A win over No. 5 Houston on Thursday would give the Cougars three wins at the same conference tournament for the first time since 2001 when they defeated Air Force, Wyoming and New Mexico in Las Vegas, Nev. to win the Mountain West title.
