A busy weekend of Big 12 basketball, the second of conference play, includes the first-ever meeting between head coaches Kevin Young and Alex Jensen, as No. 9 BYU travels to Utah for the first of two Holy Wars on the hardwood beginning Saturday in Salt Lake City at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN.
BYU opened as a 13-point favorite over Utah, with the spread growing to 14 or 14.5 points as of Saturday evening leading up to tip off. The over/under opened at 163 total points and grew to 168.5 total points.
BYU (14-1, 2-0 Big 12) led by the top prospect in the Class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa, is cruising on 11 consecutive victories since dropping an 86-84 heartbreaker to Connecticut at home on Nov. 15, still stands as the Cougars’ only loss to date. BYU is 6-0 in non-home contests, and are fresh off a 104-76 home win against Arizona State.
Utah (8-7, 0-2 Big 12) enters this one as the clear underdog with losses in four of its last five and still searching for its first win of 2026. The Utes, 7-2 at home so far, opened the regular season 5-0 before dropping back-to-back meetings against Cal Poly and Grand Canyon before the end of November.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH
AJ DYBANTSA, BYU FORWARD
Any chance the Utes have at an upset begins and ends with Dybantsa, BYU’s floor general and facilitator. The 6-foot-9 big man recently recorded the school’s first triple-double (33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) vs. Eastern Washington on Dec. 22. Needless to say, Utah forwards Keanu Dawes and James Okonkwo will have their hands full.
TERRENCE BROWN, UTAH GUARD
Utah needs a season-high performance out of Brown if they’re to compete with BYU’s offense. Brown currently leads the Utes with 21.4 points per game, but has shot under 50% nine different times so far this season. Brown has especially struggled from 3-point land, where he’s just 2 of 14 (14%) over his last five starts.
KEY STORYLINES
CAN THE UTES GO THE DISTANCE WITH BYU’S ENGINE?
Richie Saunders and Robert Wright III are a dynamic combo on the wing, and Dybantsa is their top target inside. That trio, with nearly 20 feet between them, leads BYU’s production of 88.2 points per game. Utah allows nearly that same amount (80.1) per night and ranks 205th on the defensive glass.
THIRD REUNION BETWEEN KEITA, UTAH
BYU senior center Keba Keita was listed as “doubtful,” ahead of Wednesday’s home game against Arizona State, and did not take the floor.
Barring another setback, Keita (7.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 0.3 apg) is slated to meet his former team, Utah, for the third time since transferring over to their archrival in 2024.
Keita has two double-doubles against Kansas State (11 points, 16 rebounds) and California Baptist (23 points, 12 rebounds). Keita left the Connecticut game following a head/shoulder collision during the first half.
PREDICTION: BYU 88, Utah 71
There’s too much firepower on BYU’s end to talk myself into any upset scenario for the Utes. Stopping Dybantsa demands a defense that Utah simply isn’t courting right now, and the stakes of the freshman’s first rivalry game (on the road, too) will certainly impact his performance. I’d expect a solid crowd on hand for this one, albeit somewhat blue and white with Provo just down the road. There’s plenty for Utah to play for as the conference schedule begins, and a quality showing against the top-10 Cougars could be the right bounce they need after a rough start to the preseason. Rest assured, BYU will hang a W in this one without a doubt.
