CBB Rank 2025: No. 10, BYU Basketball

Kevin Young’s BYU basketball career started off with a bang. Now, he brings in a generational talent hoping to not only make the Sweet 16 again, but also go even deeper.

The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: BYU basketball.

After Mark Pope left to take the Kentucky job, BYU decided to go with a top NBA Assistant and Utah native, Kevin Young. Year one was definitely a success, with BYU basketball having one of its best seasons since the Jimmer Fredette days, making it to the Sweet 16 before losing to Alabama, which had a historic shooting performance.

With the emergence of NIL in the past few years, few teams have benefited from it than BYU. A team that used to rely on local talent now finds itself with an insanely deep roster full of key transfers and, of course, a potentially generational freshman.

That would be AJ Dybansta, the 6-9 wing ranked #2 in the country. He’s a really talented scorer and has a build designed to be a star in the NBA. Don’t be surprised if you see his name on the All-American team in March.

They also add another key transfer in Rob Wright from Baylor. Wright was a high-level transfer himself, finishing as a top 25 recruit, and had a really productive freshman season. He’s a guy who could take a big step and make an All-Big 12 team.

They also return Richie Saunders, the great-grandson of the creator of tator tots, who was named the Big 12 most improved player last year and an All-Big 12 player in general. Playing alongside Dybantsa will allow him to succeed even more, even if the ball is in his hands less.

This team will be so fun to watch on the offensive end. Hopefully, that firepower is enough to take them to the top of the Big 12 and to a national championship.

Head coach: Kevin Young (2nd season overall, both at BYU)

2024-25 record: 26-10 (14-6)

2025 postseason finish: Lost to Alabama (113-88) in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament

Notable departures: 

• Egor Demin (10.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.9 RPG)
• Trevin Knell (9.2 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.3 APG)
• Fousseyni Traore (8.7 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.3 APG)
• Kanon Catchings (7.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.7 APG)
• Dallin Hall (6.8 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.2 RPG)

Notable non-conference games: 

• vs. Villanova (Nov. 3) – Las Vegas, NV
• vs. UConn (Nov. 15) – Boston, MA
• vs. Wisconsin (Nov. 24) – Salt Lake City, UT
• at Miami (Nov. 27) – ESPN Events Invitational
• vs. Dayton OR Georgetown (Nov 28) – ESPN Events Invitational
• vs. Clemson (Dec. 9) – Madison Square Garden

Projected Rotation

PG: Rob Wright III (6-1, So.)

2024-25 stats: 11.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, 2.1 RPG, 1.0 SPG, 41.4 FG%, 35.2 3P%, 79.6 FT% (Baylor)

SG: Kennard Davis Jr. (6-6, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 16.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.3 SPG, 45.5 FG%, 37.6 3P%, 76.3 FT% (Southern Illinois)

SF: AJ Dybantsa (6-9, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #1-ranked recruit 

PF: Richie Saunders (6-5, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 51.8 FG%, 43.2 3P%, 83.5 FT%

C: Keba Keita (6-8, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 7.4 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.2 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 48.6 FG%, 39.7 3P%, 75.0 FT%

6: Dawson Baker (6-4, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 7.5 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 45.3 FG%, 38.0 3P%, 78.3 FT%

7: Xavion Staton (6-11, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #36-ranked recruit 

8: Nate Pickens (6-3, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 9.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 39.5 FG%, 39.2 3p%, 75.9 FT% (UC Riverside)

9: Brody Kozlowski (6-8, So.)

2024-25 stats: 0.9 PPG, 0.4 RPG, 0.0 APG, 3.2 MPG

10: Mihailo Boskovic (6-10, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 3.6 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.4 APG, 38.0 FG%, 26.8 3P%, 81.5 FT%

BYU Basketball team MVP: AJ Dybantsa

It wasn’t necessarily a shock that BYU landed Dybantsa, but just two years ago, BYU  basketball’s highest recruit EVER was #2 overall Eric Mika. That’s what the NIL does for programs. They should be extremely excited to have him, though, as he is an absolute beast. AJ has over a 7-0 wingspan, making him dangerous in the passing lanes, but what’s more impressive is his ability to create his own shots in the halfcourt.

He’s gotten better and better every single year, and should have zero issues adjusting to the college basketball level, despite his thinner frame. EvanMiya has him as a top 10 player in the country. Barttorvik projects him to average 18 and 8. I wouldn’t be surprised if we come back to this in March and he’s surpassed both of those.

BYU Basketball make-or-break player: Robert Wright Jr.

Rob Wright’s freshman year had its ups and downs, but was overall a success. He averaged 11.5 PPG, 4.2 APG, and a steal. Wright played BYU last year and had one of his best games, scoring 22 points on 6-12 shooting, to go with four rebounds and six assists. He had a solid game in the round of 64 win for Baylor as well, scoring 19 points on 8-15 shooting to lead his team.

Now, it’s time to see if he can take that next step. One of the reasons BYU was so good last year was the playmaking abilities of Egor Demin. In contrast, Rob Wright is a much different player than Demin. If he can be a playmaker while still being a solid third option, this is a national championship contender. If he stays where he is, this is definitely still a top 25 team, but maybe in that tier below the heavy hitters.

Key analytic: Two Point %

BYU scored a lot last season. In the NCAA Tournament, they scored 80, 91, and 88. A big reason why was their two-point %. They shot 58.6% last season, fifth best in the entire country. Three-point and free-throw percentages are the ones that get all the love, but having a great two-point percentage is just as important. Richie Saunders was at hitting midrange, and anytime Fousseyni Traore got his hands on the ball in the paint, it was as if there was no one guarding him.

Offense is all about balance, and they’ll need to be solid in other areas in order for this to matter as much as it does, but if they can continue to be efficient inside the arc, it allows defenses to remain uncomfortable and BYU to win more. They shot 63.9% from 2-point range at home as well, best in the country.

BYU Basketball 2025-26 projections

Projected conference finish: 3rd in the Big 12

Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Final 4 Exit