AJ Dybantsa Breaks BYU Record In Rivalry Win Over Utah

The Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, was absolutely buzzing on Saturday night as AJ Dybantsa delivered a performance for the ages, scoring a BYU freshman record 43 points to lead the No. 13 Cougars past the Utah Utes, 91-78. The highly anticipated showdown was billed as a classic rivalry clash, but it quickly became the AJ Dybantsa show, with the freshman sensation etching his name into BYU basketball lore and breaking a record that had stood since 1977.

Utah came out firing, shooting a remarkable 62% from beyond the arc—knocking down 13 of their 21 three-point attempts, their best long-range effort of the season. It kept the Utes in the contest for much of the night, but BYU’s relentless attack in the paint and Dybantsa’s all-around brilliance ultimately proved too much. The Cougars outscored Utah 48-18 in the paint, throwing down three emphatic dunks and dominating the boards with a 40-24 rebounding advantage.

“That was impressive,” head coach Kevin Young said after the game, visibly proud of his young star and the team’s execution. “In my mind I was thinking ‘man, this is a special player.’ I’ve said it a lot, I think he is the clear cut number one pick in the NBA draft coming up. It was on full display tonight. He was doing it every which way... I need to give credit to the team, I thought the execution was probably as good as it’s been all year. We were moving AJ around a little more than we usually do because of how they guarded him. It was harder to double team him and our guys did a good job screening and getting him the ball. Hopefully everyone will look back on this night and have fond memories of it.”

Dybantsa’s stat line was nothing short of spectacular: 15-of-24 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range, and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. He added six rebounds and three assists, showing off a versatility that had Utah’s defense scrambling all night. After pouring in 19 points in the first half, Dybantsa found another gear in the second, scoring 24 more and surpassing Danny Ainge’s legendary freshman scoring mark that had stood untouched for nearly five decades.

Point guard Robert Wright III was the perfect running mate, contributing 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 2-of-3 from downtown, extending his personal streak to 17 consecutive games with a made three. Wright was steady at the line as well, going 7-of-8 on free throws, and he matched Dybantsa with three assists while pulling down five rebounds. Richie Saunders also chipped in, rounding out the double-digit scorers with 12 points, and provided a spark under the basket throughout the night.

The opening half was a back-and-forth affair, with both teams trading runs and defensive stops. BYU jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead after a Wright III three-pointer and a Dybantsa jumper, but Utah responded with a flurry from deep, tying the game at 21 apiece and briefly taking the lead. The Cougars, however, closed the half strong, getting key buckets from Saunders and Dybantsa, and a critical defensive block from Khadim Mbopu sent them into the locker room up 42-37.

Utah’s hot shooting kept them in the hunt coming out of halftime, but BYU’s commitment to pounding the ball inside paid off. Keita threw down a put-back slam to ignite the crowd, and Dybantsa followed up with a second-chance dunk of his own. The Cougars’ defense tightened up, allowing just one Utah field goal over a three-minute stretch, and Saunders scored a pair of tough buckets in the paint to extend the lead to 63-56 with 11 minutes to play.

Dybantsa then took over in spectacular fashion, stringing together three straight three-pointers and pushing his point total to 41—surpassing Ainge’s freshman record in the process. He punctuated the night with a one-handed slam that brought the crowd to its feet and sealed BYU’s 17th win of the season, moving their record to an impressive 17-2.

The Cougars’ efficiency on offense was evident across the stat sheet. They shot 53% from the field, 42% from three-point range, and a tidy 83% at the free-throw line. BYU forced just six turnovers, but their dominance on the glass and in the paint more than made up for it. Despite Utah’s three-point barrage, the Utes simply couldn’t match BYU’s physicality or answer Dybantsa’s historic outburst.

“AJ was efficient in his 43 points,” one analyst noted. “He shot 15-24 from the field, 9-10 from the foul line, and 4-5 from three.” It was the kind of night that will be talked about for years to come in Provo, and the buzz around Dybantsa’s NBA prospects only grew louder with each basket.

Utah’s effort wasn’t lost on observers, either. Shooting 62% from three would win you a lot of games, but the Utes struggled to generate offense inside, managing just 18 points in the paint and getting outmuscled on the boards. BYU’s interior defense, highlighted by Abdullah Ahmed’s timely block and Keita’s presence under the rim, was a difference-maker down the stretch.

Looking ahead, the Cougars now prepare for what could be their biggest test of the season. No. 1 Arizona, a perfect 20-0 and boasting one of the nation’s most formidable frontcourts, comes to the Marriott Center on Monday, January 26, for a primetime showdown. The Wildcats have steamrolled through their first seven Big 12 games by an average margin of 19 points, and the matchup promises to be a marquee event for college basketball fans nationwide.

For BYU, a win over Arizona would be a massive boost to their NCAA Tournament resume and could vault them into serious contention for a top-three seed come March. With Dybantsa playing at an all-time high and the team firing on all cylinders, Cougar fans are daring to dream big. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and all eyes will be on Provo when the Wildcats roll into town.

As the final buzzer sounded Saturday night, the Cougars celebrated not just a rivalry win, but a record-breaking performance that electrified the home crowd and set the stage for a blockbuster showdown. If BYU can harness this momentum, the sky’s the limit for Kevin Young’s squad as the season heats up.