Against one of the nation’s most physical and frustrating opponents, AJ Dybantsa delivered a statement performance. The BYU star finished with a career-high 35 points, six rebounds, and four assists as the 10th-ranked Cougars moved to 11-1 with an 85-67 win over Abilene Christian. Even after going 17-of-20 at the line, coach Kevin Young said it still felt insufficient against a team like Christian.

“I don’t want to say too much about what I really want to say about the officiating, even though we shot 40 free throws. Though that’s how that team plays,” Kevin Young said after the game.

“They’re super aggressive. They foul a lot, and they’re a hard team to play against because of it. But you know AJ’s a smart player. He understood what they were doing, and he was doing a good job of using that against them, and that was impressive.”

Richie Saunders and Robert Wright slipped into the supporting roles. Saunders had 21 points and 3 assists, while Wright chipped in with 10 points and 2 assists. The match was all about Dybantsa. Despite the dominating win and lopsided turnover numbers, coach Kevin Young insisted that the referees could have given Dybantsa more trips to the line. The numbers also back Young.

This Wildcats team pressures and fouls more than anyone else in the country, averaging 21.6 fouls per game. The free-throw numbers naturally tend towards their opponents as well, giving up 27.8 free throws per game. That is more than 357 other teams in college basketball.

To be fair to the referees, it’s not possible to call a foul on every play, as they try to keep the game fluid. This style is also prevalent as Christians manage to force more than twice the average turnovers off BYU.

They coughed up a season-high 18 giveaways, with 12 coming in the first half. Such pressure threw off the Cougars from the jump, as they passed rather poorly on many occasions and trailed 17-11 after 10 minutes before settling in a bit to lead 43-36 at intermission.

Dybantsa just owned the game thereon, driving in the lane, earning the contact. His athleticism and speed were no match for Christian, who had to resort to fouling him. It’s a unique skill to get fouls, which further shows how polished Dybantsa’s game actually is. 

“Not anyone can do it. No, Richie got eight, you know, so he wasn’t quite up there, but I thought he started figuring out, too,” Young further said. “But again, like that’s one of the great things about AJ, is his intelligence for the game. He figured out real quick what it was going to be all night.”

A game like this from Dybantsa reminds me of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He is just so shifty driving to the rim, basically forcing contact. While Dybantsa and SGA are very different regarding playing style, he is learning the skill of drawing fouls consistently. Beyond just the free throws, Dybantsa also had a possibly immortal moment from this game. 

AJ Dybantsa’s Dunk Forces Kevin Young To Break Character

Even before this game, AJ Dybantsa’s talent was considered otherworldly. We had seen his handles, finishing around the rim, some outside shooting, and some defense. An all-around player who would become a top 10 pick easily. However, in this game, he showed what makes him the top 3 and possibly the No.1 choice in the 2026 NBA Draft with a poster dunk. 

At the end of the first half, Kennard Davis Jr. drove to the edge of the paint and kicked it out to Wright, who let it fly for a three. It ricocheted off the back of the rim, and a 6-3 Chilandrien Newton with a 7-foot Cade Horneker were posted up under the basket for the rebound. It looked like a regulation defensive rebound at first. 

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Dybantsa was practically behind the 3-point line when the ball left Wright’s hands. The freshman guard raced towards the basket and jumped over Newton. At one point, Dybantsa had wings. While mid-air, he collected the ball from behind him and slammed a thunderous dunk that blew the roof off Marriot Center. It even forced a normally solemn Young to give a reaction. 

“I mean, I’ll be honest. I’m pretty stoic over there when cool stuff happens, just because you’re thinking about the next play, and I feel like I’ve seen a lot of plays in my life, but I did react to that one,” Young said after the game. “That was insane. That was I can’t wait to watch it on film. But what a gifted player, man. That was unbelievable.”

It put an exclamation mark on his performance. Dybantsa knew the significance of the dunk. He followed it with an intense stare-down of the man he posterized, and was rather nonchalant post-game regarding his feat.

“That’s probably the best putback I’ve had, other than the one I had last year at Utah Prep. If you’ve all seen that one, that was kind of similar, but (tonight)’s probably like, top 7 all time,” AJ Dybantsa said with a smirk.

Regardless, it just elevated him in the eyes of thousands of fans as the clip has gone viral on social media. In a draft battle so close, plays such as these might just earn Dybantsa the No.1 pick.