Will BYU men's basketball be the most nationally relevant team in the state of Utah next season?

It's hard to imagine that just two years ago, the BYU men's basketball team was entering its first season in the Big 12, only months removed from a fifth-place finish in the West Coast Conference.

The Cougars ended the 2022-23 season with a 7-9 conference record and did not play in any postseason tournament. Not the NIT. Not even the CBI.

Fast forward to today. BYU has two preseason All-Americans, just had a lottery pick for the first time since Jimmer Fredette in 2011, and could very well be a top-5 team once the AP preseason poll comes around. I haven't even mentioned that BYU signed the No. 1 overall recruit who is a sure-fire top-3 pick in 2026. A Black, non-Mormon, No. 1 recruit, 18-year-old from Brockton, Mass., chose to play for BYU. It's a different world than it was in 2023.

With all the hype and expectations surrounding Kevin Young's squad for 2025-26, BYU has the chance to be the most nationally relevant team in the state of Utah. College or pro.

More than BYU and Utah football, more than the Jazz, more than the Mammoth. Cougar hoops has the shot to be historically great in the Beehive State.

Photo by BYU Photo

The Competition:

BYU Football
Even with last season's 11-2 performance that saw the Cougars lay a beatdown on Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes in the Alamo Bowl, BYU's Sweet 16 run in March overshadowed football's prowess.

Both football and basketball had players gain national followings, with BYU's then-starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff being a Jewish quarterback at a Mormon school, and Richie Saunders being the shocking heir to a tater-tot kingdom.

But with Retzlaff's sudden post-spring practice departure from the program, BYU has a giant question mark at the quarterback position.

While it is true that Retzlaff was not the best of the best when it came to national quarterbacks, he won games for BYU. You can't deny that. Had Retzlaff not been the Cougars' quarterback, BYU would have lost the Oklahoma State and Utah games. No way around it.

If BYU's football team takes a step back like most national pundits expect they will, the Cougars will not match the excitement that basketball will produce.

Utah Football
Last season was a rough one for Kyle Whittingham and the Utes.

They finished with a 5-7 record, the program's worst since 2013, and had terrible luck when it came to quarterback injuries. By the end of the year, Utah was starting its fourth-string QB, begging for its season to come to an end.

This year, the Utes bring in quarterback Devon Dampier from New Mexico, and his offensive coordinator Jason Beck made the move to Salt Lake City as well. Dampier is one of the best — if not the best — running quarterbacks in the country. Pair that with a top-5 offensive line in college football and legitimate running depth, the Utes could be one of the scariest running teams in the country.

But with a lack of pass-catchers and a defense that has talent, but is unproven, I find it hard to grasp on to the idea that they can be an 11-1 or 12-0 team come season's end, where as BYU hoops has a real shot to be a No. 1 seed come March.

Utah Basketball
In one of the more underrated offseasons in college basketball, I believe that the Runnin Utes have the potential to be a Big 12 dark horse — still behind Houston and BYU — but a dark horse nonetheless.

With the hiring of longtime NBA assistant and former Ute Alex Jensen as the new head coach, Utah has a real shot at changing its culture into something the program hasn't seen since the 2015-16 Larry Krystkowiak-led Utes were a No. 3 seed and had All-American Jakob Poeltl cementing his name into Utah history.

Utah got some real names in the transfer portal with Terrence Brown, Jakhi Howard, Elijah "Choppa" Moore, Don Mchenry and Babacar Faye. Not to mention retaining Keanu Dawes. Utah has some serious sleeper potential.

But overhauling a team almost entirely of transfers is never easy, regardless of talent.

The big word with this Utah team is maybe. Maybe the Utes will be good, but the make up of their team is unproven, and there is a lot of work that needs to be done to have a magical season.

Utah Mammoth
Utah's newest professional sports team. Everything with this team is exciting, regardless of outcome.

New mascot? Amazing! New uniforms? Let's go! New players? Welcome to Utah!

For a whole year, and likely for another, this franchise can do no wrong, and for the most part, they haven't. Most fans like the rebrand, colors and logo. The front office has done a great job at keeping the young core in tact for years to come, and Ryan Smith hasn't come down with "new owner syndrome" yet.

The Mammoth had a great offseason, with its most notable move being the acquisition of JJ Paterka, a young, high-scoring winger from Buffalo in a trade where Utah didn't give up too much.

Utah legitimately could snag a playoff spot next season, but the roster is still young, and isn't expected to do much if it does end up sneaking in.

But who knows, maybe the ice blue tusks could be lifting the Stanley Cup next June. After all, shocking teams win in the NHL all the time.

Utah Jazz
The Jazz. The crème de la crème of sports in Utah. For 50 years this was the only Big Four franchise in the state. Through a rainbow of different colors, countless playoff heartbreaks and numerous names on the outside of the arena, the Jazz are the team in Utah.

But with the Mammoth showing strong promise and an overarching curiosity about hockey, the Jazz's popularity might be losing some ground to its frozen counterpart. Pair that with the fact that the Jazz are not supposed to be good any time soon, excitement for the team is not particularly high.

They do have new beautiful purple uniforms, and Ace Bailey is one of the more popular prospects the Jazz have ever drafted, maybe the most ever. There are also a lot of young guys to get excited about. Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Filipowski, and Taylor Hendricks are all players that Jazz fans will keep close eyes on.

No matter what, the Jazz are king. But if there was a season to surpass them, it would be now.

The case for BYU men's basketball
Final Fours are rare. The last team in the state to reach a Final Four was Utah in 1998. BYU has never even made the Elite Eight since the 1985 tournament expansion. Last season was only the school's second Sweet 16 in that time frame.

The fact that this year might be Final Four-or-bust for the Cougars is nothing short of historic.

AJ Dybantsa is the most popular college player in the country, and it's not close. In just one summer, Dybantsa went to the Monaco F1 race with Red Bull, won the FIBA U19 MVP with Team USA, appeared on the cover of Men's Health magazine at 18 years old and had his own billboard in Times Square. He hasn't even played a single minute of college basketball, and he is already at star level.

Photo by BYU Photo

Dybantsa has the most Instagram followers of any player on any team mentioned on this list (574k). More than Lauri Markkanen, Clayton Keller or Ace Bailey.

Plus, BYU returns one of the most popular college basketball players in the country in Richie Saunders. The first-team All-Big 12 player had a monster NCAA tournament, and gained a national following with his Ore-Ida NIL deal.

Regardless of performance, all eyes will be on BYU simply because of the preseason expectations and one of the most fascinating prospects in recent memory. Dybantsa makes the Cougars must-watch TV.

And if they do reach the Final Four, the Cougars' will undoubtedly be the most nationally relevant team in the state of Utah.