BYU Basketball 2026: A Season of Highs, Heartbreak, and a Bright Future

The 2025-26 season for BYU basketball will be remembered as one of the most anticipated—and ultimately one of the most bittersweet—campaigns in program history. The Cougars entered the year ranked No. 8 in the nation, landed the top high school recruit in the country, and dreamed of a deep March Madness run .

What followed was a rollercoaster: a 17-2 start, a mid-season collapse, a coaching epiphany, and finally, a heartbreaking first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament that sent freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa to the NBA without a single tournament win .

Here is the complete story of the 2025-26 BYU Cougars and what comes next.

The Rise: A Season of Unprecedented Hype

When Kevin Young left his position as Associate Head Coach of the Phoenix Suns to take the helm at BYU, it signaled a new era . Young, an NBA mind with no prior college head coaching experience, immediately set about building a roster capable of competing with the blue bloods of the Big 12.

The crown jewel of that effort was AJ Dybantsa, the consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the 2025 class. The 6-foot-9 do-it-all forward chose BYU over every major program in America, instantly transforming the Cougars into must-see TV .

The hype was justified. BYU won 17 of its first 19 games. Dybantsa lived up to the billing, leading the nation in scoring with a 25.3 point-per-game average . The Cougars looked like a protected seed, and fans dared to dream of a Final Four run .

The Fall: Injury and Inconsistency

Then, the bottom fell out.

On February 14, star guard Richie Saunders suffered a season-ending torn ACL . The loss sent shockwaves through the locker room. Without Saunders, the Cougars lost 11 of their final 18 games .

The defense, which had been suspect all year, completely unraveled. In a loss at West Virginia, BYU was dominated on the defensive glass. In an embarrassing home loss to UCF, the Cougars were run off the floor . By early March, the team looked lifeless.

“We were digging ourselves into too many deep holes,” one observer noted. “From the end of January onward, there just seemed to be a serious funk surrounding the group” .

The Epiphany: Kevin Young’s ‘Less is More’ Philosophy

With the season slipping away, Coach Young did something few veteran coaches are willing to do: he looked in the mirror.

During a loss to Cincinnati on March 3, Young watched the Bearcats score on a specific play the Cougars had practiced defending all week. The players knew the scouting report, but they couldn’t execute it in real-time .

On the cross-country flight home, Young had an epiphany. He was over-coaching. He was overwhelming his players with information they couldn’t process on the court.

“Sometimes coaches get in their own way, and I’m not immune to that,” Young admitted .

He simplified everything. The message became simple: play harder, play faster, and stop thinking so much. He switched up the starting lineup, inserting Khadim Mboup to add size and rebounding against Cincinnati .

The results were immediate. BYU upset No. 11 Texas Tech to close the regular season and won two games in the Big 12 Tournament before falling to No. 5 Houston . The Cougars entered the NCAA Tournament with renewed confidence .

The Heartbreak: Texas Upsets BYU in March Madness

On March 19, 2026, the 6-seed Cougars faced 11-seed Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Portland’s Moda Center .

AJ Dybantsa was nothing short of spectacular. In what would be his final college game, the freshman phenom poured in 35 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He shot 11-of-25 from the field and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line .

But he received almost no help. The rest of the BYU roster combined to score just 36 points . The Cougars shot an abysmal 18% from three-point range and missed 11 layups .

Defensively, BYU had no answer for Texas center Matas Vokietaitis, who dominated the paint with 23 points and 16 rebounds . The Longhorns grabbed 16 offensive rebounds, leading to 16 second-chance points .

The final score: Texas 79, BYU 71 .

“Thursday will be Dybantsa’s sole appearance in the NCAA Tournament, but he made sure to leave a lasting impression despite the loss,” wrote the Deseret News .

The Aftermath: Looking Ahead to 2026-27

With the season over, all eyes turn to the future. Here is what BYU basketball fans can expect in the coming months.

The Roster: Life After Dybantsa

AJ Dybantsa is expected to be a top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. His departure leaves a massive scoring void .

The Cougars will return key pieces, including guard Robert Wright III, who transferred in from Baylor with high expectations . Wright’s first season was a mixed bag—some fans on social media labeled him a “bust,” while others pointed to the overall disjointed offense . Expect Wright to take a significant leap in Year 2.

The 2026-27 roster will also feature incoming freshmen, including Bruce Branch III (6-7 GF from Phoenix) and local product Dean Rueckert (6-7 F from Provo’s Timpview High School) .

The Coaching Staff

Kevin Young returns for his third season, surrounded by a veteran staff. Key assistants include Tim Fanning, Will Voigt, Brandon Dunson, Chris Burgess, and John Linehan . The staff also features former BYU big man Nate Austin as Director of Basketball Operations and Jordan Brady as Director of Player Development .

The 2026-27 Big 12 Schedule

The Big 12 has released its conference schedule for the 2025-26 season, which features 18 league games .

Key Dates for BYU Basketball in 2026-27:

• Jan 3: at Kansas State

• Jan 7: vs. Arizona State (Home Opener)

• Jan 10: at Utah (Rivalry Game)

• Jan 24: vs. Utah (Marriott Center)

• Jan 26: vs. Arizona (ESPN Big Monday) — BYU’s first Big Monday game since 2005

• Jan 31: at Kansas

• Feb 7: vs. Houston

• Feb 10: at Baylor

• Feb 18: at Arizona

• March 7: vs. Texas Tech (Senior Day)

The game against Arizona on January 26 is particularly significant. ESPN has tabbed it as a Big Monday showcase, pitting No. 13 Arizona against No. 6 BYU in a nationally televised prime-time affair .

Non-Conference Slate

Before Big 12 play, the Cougars have a loaded non-conference schedule:

• Oct 18: at Nebraska (Exhibition)

• Oct 24: vs. North Carolina (Exhibition at Delta Center)

• Nov 3: vs. Villanova (Las Vegas)

• Nov 15: vs. UConn (TD Garden, Boston)

• Nov 21: vs. Wisconsin (Delta Center)

• Nov 27-28: ESPN Events Invitational (Kissimmee, FL)

• Dec 9: vs. Clemson (Jimmy V Classic)

The Verdict: Progress, Even in Pain

For a program that reached its first Sweet 16 in 14 years just one season ago, a first-round exit stings . But context matters.

This was Year 2 under an NBA coach learning the college game on the fly. The Cougars dealt with a catastrophic injury to a senior leader. And they landed—and showcased—the best recruit in program history.

Kevin Young’s willingness to adapt mid-season, to admit he was over-coaching and simplify his approach, suggests a coach who will continue to grow .

As Dybantsa heads to the NBA and the Cougars reload, the foundation is stronger than it has ever been. The 2025-26 season didn’t end with a trophy, but it proved that BYU basketball can attract top-tier talent, compete in the Big 12, and matter on the national stage.

Now, the work begins to turn close calls into championships.