Las Vegas • AJ Dybantsa waited for the defense to get set before he attacked the rim with the game in the balance.
Seeing Villanova’s starting forward Tafara Gapare in front of him and open space to his left, Dybantsa decided this was the moment to heed his coach’s advice.
“They don’t want to foul you,” Dybantsa said, recalling Kevin Young’s words. “KY kept telling me to attack.”
So BYU’s superstar guard took two steps to the lane, absorbed two defenders at the rim and finished over everyone to give the Cougars a lead.
Two minutes later, Dybantsa drove at a helpless Wildcats’ defense once again with the same result. Six of his 21 points came in the final five minutes, delivering BYU a 71-66 win here Monday night.
It was a fitting start to an era that BYU’s faithful never thought was possible.
The No. 1 player in the country took over the game late to seal a marquee win — and he was playing for the Cougars, not against them. It’s the reason this fan base is dreaming of a Final Four for the first time in program history.
“I just thought down the stretch we put the ball in his hands,” Young said. “He made plays. For his first game to be able to have the poise to do that, I thought was impressive.”
Villanova coach Kevin Willard put it a little bit more succinctly.
“He’s the real deal,” Willard said as he digested Dybantsa’s late-game takeover. “He’s one of the best high school players I’ve seen in a long time. He is much tougher for a kid his age.”
All week, Young insisted playing on the national stage wouldn’t be a coronation for the Cougars.
BYU was the featured game on college basketball’s opening night. In a spot typically reserved for the blue bloods, the Hall of Fame Classic opened up room for BYU to play among the likes of Villanova, Florida and Arizona.
“This isn’t a feel-good moment because we have a big game,” Young said. “We want to play with the big boys. We want to be a contender in all of those things. This isn’t a badge of honor because we have a big game. We should want it. And now that we have it, we’ve got to go out there and produce.”
But even if Young didn’t want to acknowledge it, Monday night in Las Vegas did have the feeling of a program that had reached a different level.
Beyond the thousands of BYU fans who packed into T-Mobile Arena, everyone else strained to see their first glimpse at Dybantsa on a college court with a top 10 team in the country.
NBA scouts came in droves. National outlets like The New York Times and ESPN sent reporters. Even opposing coaches like Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd, who had just wrapped up a game in Vegas, trickled in to catch Dybantsa live.
That level of attention hasn’t come around BYU since Jimmer Fredette was pulling up from 5 feet beyond the three-point line.
And on this night, Dybantsa delivered a gem to cement the moment.
Even as BYU veteran Richie Saunders struggled from the field, going 4-of-13 for 15 points, Dybantsa was there to pick up the slack. He finished 9-of-18 shooting with six rebounds. He also led BYU in assists and, as Young later joked, he gobbled offensive rebounds to extend some possessions late.
“Finally got his butt in there and got some boards,” Young said.
When Villanova stormed back from a 14-point deficit to take a one-point lead in the second half, Young turned to his freshman ahead of anyone else.
“I was happy to see that,” Young said. “To be able to pull out a tough win like that in the first game of the year, that’s just the toughest one. Stuff we can build on. AJ is included in that.”
This one meant plenty for the BYU fan base, too. The stands were a mixture of new Dybantsa jerseys and Fredette throwbacks.
It was the connection of two of the highest-profile moments in the program’s history.
A decade ago, the Cougars thought the shooting guard from Glens Falls, N.Y., would bring them to college basketball’s nirvana at the Final Four. He got close, but his hopes were dashed in the Sweet 16.
Now, the star from Brockton, Mass., has them thinking about a title again.
On Monday, he showed they are right to dream.