BYU star AJ Dybantsa made his first, and likely last, trip to the Huntsman Center over the weekend.
And Utah fans made the most out of their only crack at the man who could be the top pick in this year’s NBA draft. The student section heckled Dybantsa every time he touched the ball, raining down chants of “overrated” whenever there was even the slightest hiccup.
“That was crazy,” Dybantsa said. “That was super hostile. That was probably, besides my high school days and that rivalry, that was probably the most hostile environment I have been in. That was really a welcome to the Big 12 moment for me.”
Dybantsa had the last laugh in a 89-84 win for the Cougars. The freshman extended his nine-game streak of scoring 20 points or more, finishing with 20 exactly. He went 6-of-11 from the field even as the Utes triple-teamed him most of the night.
As for the chants, Dybantsa wasn’t too fazed.
“I’ve been dealing with it since I was 13,” he said. “I’ve been getting hate comments, hate phrases, hate sayings during games. I’ve heard it all. So I just got to play my game and make the right decisions.”
Dybantsa will get his chance to host Utah in a few weeks when the return game goes to Provo.
Until then, he’s doing just fine leading a 15-1 team ranked No. 9 in the country.
A welcome home
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Former BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe joins the BYU football team at the Utah Capitol on Feb. 26, 2025.
Former BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe is heading back home, only this time for a different reason.
Holmoe will be a mission president in the San Francisco area starting this summer. The former 49ers and Cal coach is used to leading a team; now it will just be a bunch of missionaries.
It’s a full circle moment for a player who came to BYU from California, largely unfamiliar with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He converted to the faith after he left Provo and moved on to his professional career.
Richie fills the gap
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU Cougars guard Richie Saunders (15) brings the ball down the court during the game between the BYU Cougars and the Arizona State Sun Devils in Provo on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.
There isn’t much left for Richie Saunders to accomplish in the regular season at BYU. The man who’s become an All-American candidate is averaging nearly 20 points a game and leads the No. 9 team in the country.
He’s closing in on 1,500 career points and nearly 500 rebounds. He’s beaten just about everybody and took BYU to the Sweet 16 last year.
But if there was one thing missing, he never beat Utah on the road.
For any BYU great, that is a box that needs to be checked.
Saunders completed the mission on Saturday night, a day even head coach Kevin Young circled.