By Robert Lastella
AJ Dybantsa was one of the most sought-after recruits this past offseason, and on Monday night in his debut for BYU against Villanova, he proved the hype was real.
Photo by Christian Proscia
Dybantsa dropped 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists, putting up 13 points in the second half, as BYU held on to defeat Villanova 71-66. It was a quiet 21 points for Dybantsa, but when Villanova needed a bucket, Dybantsa was able to go and get them one.
He also showed his ability as a distributor, as well as his physicality as a rebounder, doing a little bit of everything in his collegiate debut. On the first offensive possession for BYU, Dybantsa set the tone with a lob to Keba Keita that gave BYU fans an early jolt of excitement, which permeated throughout the game.
When Villanova drew even with 5:16 to play in the second half, it was Dybantsa who had the response that BYU needed. The Cougars went on an 8-2 run after Villanova tied it, and six of those points came from Dybantsa, as he attacked the paint with success.
It could have been easy for a freshman to be tentative in his debut, but Dybantsa wasn’t, and his poise is what impressed BYU Head Coach Kevin Young the most.
“I just thought down the stretch, we put the ball in his hands. He made plays, his first game to be able to have the poise to do that. I thought that was impressive. He finally got his butt in there and got some offensive rebounds too, which I was happy to see," Young said
Villanova fought back from a ten-point deficit at the half behind 19 second-half points from Bryce Lindsay, who had 22 points overall. Although Lindsay did his best to will Villanova to a victory, the BYU defense stepped up late, limiting his opportunities and forcing him to the free-throw line.
Photo by Christian Proscia
BYU won the turnover battle 11-4 overall on the day. Between their peskiness in the passing lanes and overall physicality, they found a way to counteract Villanova's strong second half and their own offensive inconsistencies outside of Dybantsa.
It wasn’t a perfect effort on either end of the court; however, Young credits his squad for getting the stops on the defensive end when they needed them.
Photo by Christian Proscia
“We were imploring these guys to just lock in and get stops. I thought Moo Davis really, really stepped up defensively. I thought all these guys did, obviously, Lindsay really got going, so we didn't do a good enough job on him. But I thought we just found a way to find enough stops there. I think that says a lot about our group,” Young said.
There were inconsistencies for BYU on both ends of the court. On the offensive end, Richie Saunders and Rob Wright joined Dybantsa in double figures with 15 and 14, respectively, but both shot under 35% from the field. And on the defensive end, as Young mentioned, they failed to slow down Lindsay, and he nearly willed Villanova to victory on his own.
BYU didn’t let those struggles impact them, as offensively Dybantsa took over when they needed him to, while defensively, they were able to get key stops down the stretch that helped them rebuild their lead.
Having a superstar-caliber player like Dybantsa can be the difference maker between winning and losing. At times, BYU looked like a team that had lost numerous key contributors during the offseason and was still finding its footing, but those bumps in the road didn’t matter in the end.
Villanova Head Coach Kevin Willard is familiar with a talent like Dybantsa’s, as while at Maryland last year, he coached Derik Queen, who was selected 13th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. After the game, Willard compared Dybantsa to an unnamed player he had last year, saying that he’s the real deal.
Photo by Christian Proscia
“I had one of those last year. They're fun. When you have a talented freshman like that, you know, first or second pick in the draft, which I know, he is. I said to the media before, he's one of the best high school players I've seen come out in a long time. He’s got great size, great length. He's much tougher for a kid his age. So he's the real deal,” Willard said.
If BYU wants to achieve its goals this season, it will need more consistent scoring outside of Dybantsa. Still, Dybantsa showing he can take over a game in different ways in his first game is encouraging and should have BYU feeling confident moving forward.
