The 2026 BYU men’s basketball team is not your typical Cougars squad.
You have an NBA-level coach at the helm, the potential No. 1 selection in the 2026 NBA Draft and likely more than one All-American in the starting lineup.
In just the second year in the Kevin Young era, the BYU Cougars have become must-watch basketball, and the prices reflect that.
In a conference with multiple national powerhouses competing for the Big 12 title, the most expensive ticket isn’t held by Blue Blood Kansas, it’s not No. 1 Arizona and it is not reigning conference champion Houston. The most expensive ticket in the country’s toughest men’s basketball conference belongs to the BYU Cougars.
How much are fans paying to watch BYU?
At the start of this week, the average cost of the cheapest available Marriott Center ticket found on SeatGeek — the official secondary ticket market for BYU Athletics — for the remaining home games was $150.75.
That is nearly $30 more than the next Big 12 team’s average available ticket price, which belongs to Kansas ($121.38).
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fans fill the stadium during the game between the BYU Cougars and the Arizona State Sun Devils in Provo on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.
Of BYU’s final eight home games, five of them cost above $180, with the most expensive game coming against Arizona on Jan. 26. Arizona is currently the No. 1-ranked team in the country, making it a top-10 matchup in Provo for the No. 11 Cougars. If the rankings change slightly, it would be the first top-10 matchup inside the Marriott Center since No. 9 BYU took down Kawhi Leonard and No. 4 San Diego State in 2011.
Prices are continuously changing and the odds that the cheapest ticket is still $150 dollars at tipoff are slim, but at the moment, BYU men’s basketball is the most expensive team to watch live.
That statement remains true for when the Cougars are on the road as well. When BYU plays Kansas at the historic Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 31, the cheapest ticket is $204.
What do fans make of the high prices?
Even with the unusually expensive ticket costs, the Marriott Center is still seeing high attendance. In its first Big 12 home game of the season last week against Arizona State, the reported attendance was 18,009 fans. That’s a sold-out arena.
That number is also larger than any other Big 12 team can fit in its arena, because the Marriott Center is the largest in the Cougars’ conference, with an official capacity of 17,978.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) shoots as Arizona State Sun Devils center Massamba Diop (35) defends during the game between the BYU Cougars and the Arizona State Sun Devils in Provo on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.
But make no mistake: Some fans have been truly hurt by the cost to watch BYU.
When asked on X — formerly Twitter — if any BYU fans had been affected by the rise in cost, many reached out with complaints.
One fan said that he would have liked to bring his family of five to a non-conference game earlier in the season, but decided not to when the tickets were $60 a seat.
“I can’t afford $300 for one college basketball game,” the fan said.
Another fan who claimed to go to games every season said that this “will be the first time since 2012 that [he] won’t be able to attend a home game.”
There was also a rise in season ticket prices, with one fan noting a $300 dollar increase to get season tickets in his usual section. Instead, he opted for some in the upper bowl that wouldn’t cost the additional $300.
But regardless of the high prices, season tickets sold out.
Before the 2025-26 season started, BYU set up a tier system for potential season ticket buyers based on priority points and membership in the Cougar Club. Essentially, the more money you paid to the program, the higher on the tier system you were.
This year’s season tickets sold out before it reached the silver club, which was the fourth of sixth tiers. There were still many fans waiting for their turn to buy tickets, but demand was simply too high.
“Demand continues to outpace supply for season tickets available,” BYU Athletics said in an official statement. “While we understand the frustration from some about what it means for them, overall, this is a very good sign of the overall health of our program.”
There’s only a handful of games left for AJ Dybantsa and Richie Saunders in Provo. The last time that Marriott Center tickets were this hot a commodity was in 2011 when the basketball world’s eyes were centered on Jimmer Fredette and the Cougars.
If you want to say you saw one of the greatest BYU teams ever, then you will have to dig through your wallet.
But if you’re fine waiting, tickets to see AJ Dybantsa play a professional game at the Delta Center will likely be much cheaper next season.
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible