BYU coach Kevin Young said in his Monday presser that he was “relishing the opportunity” to prove the Cougars weren’t done after losing Richie Saunders for the rest of the season to a torn ACL.
For a while on Wednesday night, it looked like BYU might just back that up. But in the end, the No. 23 Cougars didn’t quite have enough to hang with No. 4 Arizona, falling 75-68 at the McKale Center.
Despite AJ Dybantsa pouring in 35 points, a performance that gave him the BYU freshman single-season scoring record by passing Danny Ainge, the Cougars struggled to find consistent offense elsewhere.
AJ. THREE.
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 19, 2026
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/1B2fQbt8cv
BYU shot just 43% from the field and a rough 26% from beyond the arc.
For an offense that already felt like it lacked scoring options, now without Saunders, those issues were magnified. With an extended lineup, Khadim Mboup, Aexsej Kostic and Abdullah Ahmed combined for just six points.
Robert Wright III, coming off a 39-point outburst against the Colorado Buffaloes, was efficient early, scoring 11 points in the first half on 4-of-7 shooting. But that momentum didn’t carry over after the break, as Wright managed just two points on 1-of-6 shooting in the second half, a cold stretch that mirrored BYU’s broader offensive struggles and further contributed to the Cougars’ lack of efficiency.
Arizona was dealing with its own absence, missing freshman Koa Peat due to a lower leg injury, but senior Anthony Dell'Orso stepped up, scoring 22 points and knocking down four three-pointers to help steady the Wildcats.
🇦🇺 Anthony Dell’Orso SEASON HIGH vs BYU
— Luke Travers fan club (@TraversHoops) February 19, 2026
- 26 MIN
- 22 PTS (8/15 FG, 4/8 3PT)
- 4 REB
- 1 STL
- +8
In the absence of Koa Peat, Arizona were in desperate need of someone to step up and lead the team..
In steps our man DELLY!! (75-68) win over potential number 1 pick AJ Dybantsa! pic.twitter.com/37fXxUOGgf
Arizona also got a massive boost from freshman Ivan Kharchenkov, who scored 18 points, production the Wildcats needed on a night when guards Brayden Burries and Jayden Bradley didn’t have their best outings, combining for just 23 points on 9-of-24 shooting.
For BYU, it means another reset. The Cougars are once again in search mode, now even more intensely without Saunders, trying to piece together consistent offense and rotation answers on the fly.
There won’t be much time to linger on this one either, as BYU quickly turns its attention to No. 6 Iowa State, which comes to Provo on Saturday.