BYU concludes road trip at Cincinnati

CINCINNATI, Ohio — BYU plays its final road game of the regular season on Tuesday, March 3, when the Cougars conclude their two-game road trip at Cincinnati. Tip is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET at Fifth Third Arena.

WHERE TO WATCH
Tuesday's game will be broadcast on ESPN2 with Eric Rothman and Miles Simon on the call.

BATTLE OF THE CATS
Tuesday will be the seventh all-time meeting between the two programs and fourth since they joined the Big 12 prior to the 2023-24 season. The series is tied 3-all as the Cougars are 1-1 all-time in Cincinnati with their lone win in the Queen of the West came back on January 3, 1931, a 41-27 victory. 

Second-year head coach Kevin Young is 1-1 against Wes Miller and the Bearcats with the lone victory coming in the friendly confines of the Marriott Center, a 80-52 win back on January 25, 2025. In the Cougars' only trip to Fifth Third Arena last season, BYU was outscored 45-24 after halftime after holding a 42-39 lead heading into the break. Richie Saunders (15) and Egor Demin (12) were the only Cougars in double figures with Cincy's Jizzle James finishing with a game-high 24 points going 9-of-14 from the field and 6-of-8 from behind the arc.  

SLOW OUT OF THE BLOCKS
The Cougars trailed by 14 at halftime in a 79-71 setback at West Virginia on Saturday evening as they went without a basket for the final 7 minutes and 59 minutes of the first half. They would find some offensive rhythm in the second half, outscoring the Mountaineers 45-39 over the final 20 minutes and cutting the deficit to three points in the final minute but missed opportunities proved costly in their first loss at Hope Coliseum. 

Saturday's setback marked just the second time during the Kevin Young era that the Cougars lost when having a better shooting percentage than its opponents as they shot 47.1 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point range and 73.7 percent from the free throw line. The Mountaineers dominated the glass, 39-29, with 18 offensive rebounds that resulted in 15 second chance points. 

Robert Wright III was one of three Cougars to score in double figures as the sophomore finished with a game-high 23 points going 7-of-15 from the field, 2-of-5 from behind the arc and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. AJ Dybantsa finished with 20 points, 16 of those coming in the second half, marking the eighth straight game the freshman has scored 20 or more points. Aleksej Kostic reached double figures for the the second consecutive game of his career as the freshman knocked down four of BYU's nine 3-pointers. 

I DON'T KNOW IF YOU HEARD ME COUNTING. I DID OVER A THOUSAND.
It's more likely than not that AJ Dybantsa will become the third freshman to play 1,000 minutes in season near the end of the first half of Tuesday's game as the 6-foot-9 forward has seen the floor in 984 minutes in his 29 appearances so far this season.

DID YOU THROW A TRIDENT?
The Cougars are 6-2 this season when Kennard Moo' Davis Jr. scores in double figures including a 17-point performance in BYU's win over No. 6 Iowa State on Feb. 21.

WHO TYPED A QUESTION MARK ON THE TELEPROMPTER?
Keba Keita owns the eighth-highest field goal percentage among NCAA men's basketball players who have made at least 350 field goals.

The senior owns the two highest field goal percentages in a single season in program history (min. 50 field goal made) as he is shooting 66.4 percent this season after shooting a program record 67.3 percent last season.

AGREE TO DISAGREE
BYU's 135 blocks with two games remaining in the regular season are tied for the fourth-most in a single season in program history. The Cougars are on pace to finish in the Top 50 in blocks since 2016-17 as they rank 31st nationally with 4.7 blocks per game. 

Keba Keita has been the leader of the block party as the senior's 48 blocks in 27 appearances are the 11th most in a single season in program history. He is two blocks away from becoming the ninth player in program history with 50 or more blocks in a single season. 

LOUD NOISES
If the season ended today, Robert Wright III would be the sixth player and fourth this century at a Power Conference to average at least 18.0 points, 4.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game while shooting 45.0 percent from the field, 43.0 percent from 3-point range and 80.0 percent from the free throw line. 

The sophomore has been even better in conference play, averaging 20 points per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from behind the arc and 82.8 percent from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in nine of BYU's last 10 games, including back-to-back 30-point performances highlighted by a career-high 39 points in the Cougars overtime victory over Colorado. 

BOY THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY
AJ Dybantsa continues to rewrite the record book at BYU as the native of Brockton, Mass. has already broken or tied nine freshman marks with two games remaining in the regular season.

He also owns freshman single game records for points scored (43 vs. Utah, Jan. 24, 2026), field goals made (15 vs. Utah, Jan. 24, 2026), field goal attempts (28 at Arizona, Feb. 18, 2026), free throws made (17 vs. Abilene Christian, Dec. 19, 2025), free throw attempts (20 vs. Abilene Christian, Dec. 19, 2025) and has recorded the only triple-double by a freshman in program history with his 33 point, 10 rebound and 10 assists in a win over Eastern Washington in non-conference play.