For the first time in years, BYU basketball is stepping into a season with real national buzz.
The Cougars landed two top-50 recruits, including the country’s No. 1 overall player, AJ Dybantsa, and brought in one of the best freshman point guards in the country in Rob Wright, who is expected to be an upgrade over exited Dallin Hall.
Pair that with veteran leaders like Richie Saunders, Keba Keita, and Dawson Baker and this roster feels like the perfect mix of young star power and steady experience.
The preseason polls also happen to agree — BYU is sitting in or just outside the top-5 in nearly all of them. But as good as this team looks on paper, the schedule is loaded with challenges that will test whether they're built for a deep tournament run.
The season won’t ease BYU into things.
The Cougars’ first three weeks feature Villanova, Wisconsin, and UConn, which has won two out of the last three national championships.
Throw in Miami and Clemson later in non-conference play, and BYU will face five teams that have danced in March nearly every year. For a program trying to prove it belongs on the national stage, these early games are a perfect measuring stick.
That being said, conference play won’t be any lighter.
BYU opens with two of its first three Big 12 games on the road at Kansas State and Utah — two programs eager to rebound after disappointing seasons. The Cougars also make tricky January road trips to Texas Tech and Kansas before returning home for a showdown with Houston, which should be one of the most anticipated games in the league.
If the Cougars want to prove they’re a true contender in the conference, the three-week stretch from Jan. 31 to Feb. 21 will decide it.
They will face a daunting task of having to play at Kansas, Baylor, and Arizona while also hosting Houston and Iowa State in that span.
BIG 12 SCHEDULE pic.twitter.com/5TraZ1OfRV
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) September 23, 2025
That run is as close to a Final Four gauntlet as any team will see this season.
On paper, BYU checks all the boxes: elite recruits from both the transfer portal and the freshman class, a steady point guard and a veteran core.
The challenge now is turning that into wins against one of the toughest schedules in the country.