IRVING, Texas – BYU and Arizona will face-off on ESPN’s Big Monday for a second straight season, ESPN and the Big 12 Conference announced on Monday morning.
This season marks the 31st season the Big 12 has been showcased on Big Monday as part of a long-standing arrangement with ESPN.
The Feb. 22 matchup against the Wildcats at the Marriott Center is one of five Big Monday matchups for the Big 12 during the 2026-27 season. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. MT on ESPN.
| Date | Time (ET) | Game | Network |
| Mon, Feb. 1 | 9 p.m. | Kansas at Houston | ESPN |
| Mon, Feb. 8 | 9 p.m. | TCU at Arizona | ESPN2 |
| Mon., Feb. 15 | 9 p.m. | Houston at Texas Tech | ESPN |
| Mon, Feb. 22 | 9 p.m. | Arizona at BYU | ESPN |
| Mon., March 1 | 9 p.m. | Iowa State at Kansas | ESPN |
In last season’s 86-83 setback, Big 12 Freshman of the Year AJ Dybantsa scored a team-high 24 points as the Cougars nearly overcame a 19-point deficit against the top-ranked Wildcats.
Down 64-45 with 10 minutes and 53 second remaining in regulation, BYU rallied behind a barrage of 3-poiners from Robert Wright III, Richie Saunders and Kennard Davis Jr. to make it a single possession game with under 16 seconds left on the clock. Wright III’s jumper in the paint was blocked by Brayden Burries to keep the Wildcats' undefeated start to the season intact.
Kevin Young returns for third season after leading the Cougars to 23 wins last season and the program’s 33rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In 2025-26, BYU put together the fourth-longest win streak in a single season in program history with 13 straight vicotires including a 28-point win over No. 23 Wisconsin and securing the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational title with victories over Miami and Dayton.
Wright III returns for his second season as a Cougar as the All-Big 12 guard averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures in 32 of 35 starts including 13 20-point performances and two games with 30 or more including a career-high 39-point outburst in BYU’s overtime victory over Colorado. His 162 assists are the 10th most in a single season in program history.
The junior from Wilmington, Del. will be joined by returners Khadim Mboup (2.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), Dawson Baker (7.5 ppg), Nate Pickens and Brody Kozlowski. Utah natives Collin Chandler and Jake Wahlin returned to the Beehive State to play for the Cougars while Tyler Betsey has appeared 65 games during stops at Cincinnati and Syracuse.
Bruce Branch III is one of five freshmen on the roster as the sixth-ranked recruit in the SCNext 100 is joined by Provo native Dean Rueckert, Brooks Bahr and Dovydas Buika.