Not unfamiliar to BYU fans this year, the No. 10 ranked Cougars found themselves in a first half deadlock with a visiting 2-10 Eastern Washington team on Monday night.
BYU held just a five-point lead at the break, but thanks to a 30-point triple double from AJ Dybantsa, the Cougars pulled away for a 109-81 win.
AJ Dybantsa is a generational talent
The word generational may seem hyperbolic, but in this situation, it is not.
After Friday night’s 35 point performance against Abilene Christian, along with six rebounds and four assists, it would have been hard to assume it could get much better. That said, just three days later, he topped it.
On Monday night, Dybantsa put together a 33-point performance with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. It marked the first triple double of his career and the first triple double at BYU since Kyle Collinsworth in 2016.
Dybantsa was ultra efficient, going 11 of 13 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free throw line. He has visited the line 31 times over the last two games.
Both Rob Wright III and Richie Saunders seemed to be a bit in awe themselves when asked about the performance postgame.
Wright said, “Great talent, great player. It’s crazy.”
Saunders echoed the sentiment, putting it simply, “Incredible.”
It is not out of reach that Dybantsa could be the Naismith Player of the Year and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He is averaging over 23 points per game and shooting near 60 percent through the first 13 games of the season.
Yes, the competition has not been stellar over the past few games, but regardless, he is playing as well as any player in the country.
Abdullah Ahmed makes debut
The former Westchester Knick, who appeared in 54 G League games over the course of two seasons, officially signed with BYU back in November and patiently waited nearly two months to make his debut.
The 6-foot-10 sophomore averaged five points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in the G League and Young is hopeful he can make an impact on the defensive end of the floor and serve as a reliable backup for standout big Keiba Keita.
Ahmed made his first appearance against Eastern Washington at the 14-minute mark, replacing Keita, and made a definitive impact defensively. In just nine minutes of play, he recorded one point, five rebounds, and one block.
As for his impact, Young said, “He’s big and he’s gonna help us on the glass for sure.”
“Once he figures out how his teammates like to play, he’s going to be very helpful," he added.
Kennard Davis Jr. gets out of shooting slump
Davis struggled mightily over his previous four games entering Monday night, shooting a combined 6 of 28 from the field and 2 of 17 from three.
It has been obvious that Davis has struggled to find his place in the offense.
For a player who was a number one option and averaged over 16 points per game at Southern Illinois last season, it is reasonable to expect that adjusting to a fourth or fifth option role would take time.
That adjustment appeared to turn a corner on Monday night, as Davis knocked down five three pointers and finished with 17 points, pulling himself out of a near three-week slump.
Young noted postgame that he has been wanting Davis to play more aggressively and has high hopes for him becoming a consistent spot up shooter for the Cougars.
For a team that has slowly come along from beyond the arc, consistency from Davis moving into conference play will be a massive component of BYU’s overall success.
After a slate of four games over the last nine days, BYU will now take the next twelve days to recover before taking the floor on Jan. 3 at Kansas State to tip off Big 12 play.