March 7, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dibancha (3) dribbles the ball while being guarded by Texas Tech Red Raiders guard Jaylen Petty (11) during the first half at the Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images Two of the nation’s best scorers will clash when BYU and Kansas State meet in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday night in Kansas City, Missouri.
The Cougars (21-10), the tournament’s 10th seed, boast AJ DeBancha, who leads the country in scoring with 24.7 points per game. The Wildcats (12-19) rely on PJ Haggerty, who is tied for third in the country with 23.3 points per game.
BYU is gearing up for a March Madness run following Dybantsa, who is projected to be one of the top selections in the upcoming NBA draft. He has scored 20 points in each of his last 10 games, including 21 in BYU’s 82-76 win over then-No. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday.
The win ended a three-game skid and served as a reminder that BYU can play with anyone in the country, even though it suffered a significant setback last month when it lost Richie Saunders to a season-ending ACL injury.
Asked about the statement victory afterward, BYU coach Kevin Young said: “We had to do some soul-searching. We had to think a lot. The bottom line was we shouldn’t simplify things, dumb things down and try to be cute on defense.”
Along with Dybantsa, Robert Wright III is a constant threat. He led the Cougars with 27 points in the win over Texas Tech. As a team, BYU has the second-highest scoring offense in the league, averaging 84.3 points per game.
For the 15th-seeded Wildcats, Haggerty is their best option on offense. He scored 21 points in a 104-85 loss. So did Nate Johnson. Saturday 14 Kansas. However, this team has lost 4 of the last 5 games and 10 of the last 12 games.
The program is in the midst of a shake-up after coach Jerome Tang was fired mid-season. Nonetheless, interim coach Matthew Driscoll praised his staff and players for sticking it out until the end. The squad went 3-15 in Big 12 play.
“These guys are playing for a contract,” Driscoll said. “They’re playing for a contract in the NCAA next season, or they’re playing for a professional contract. Our guys are trying to get jobs. There are so many different things that focus on marketability. What you do will always be there, because video doesn’t lie.”
When these teams met in the regular season on Jan. 3 in Manhattan, Kansas, BYU won 83-73.
The winner of that contest will face seventh-seeded West Virginia on Wednesday.
–Field level media
