AJ Dybantsa and the No. 10 seed BYU Cougars were eliminated in the Big 12 quarterfinal by Kingston Flemings and the No. 2 seed Houston Wildcats by a score of 73-66. The Wildcats were led by 17 points from freshman guard Flemings, along with a team-leading eight rebounds and four assists by junior forward Joseph Tugler. This is the second year in a row that Houston has bested BYU in tournament play, with the eventual 2025 tournament champion Wildcats drumming the Cougars 74-54 in the prior season’s semifinals.
Dybantsa has been a dominant force for Brigham Young this season. He currently leads the NCAA in scoring at 25.2 points per game, and is projected to be a top-three pick in the NBA draft. The Big 12 Tournament has only been more of the same for the star freshman, who had a record-setting performance in the Thursday night loss.
The Cougar’s forward poured on 26 points in the loss, giving him 93 total for the tournament. The 93-point total is a single-season record for a player in the Big 12 Tournament’s history, eclipsing the former Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant‘s number of 92 back in 2007. Both Dybantsa and Durant achieved the mark in a three-game stretch, with Durant’s run ending with 37 in a thrilling 88-84 overtime loss in the championship game to the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks.
Still, despite the historic feat from the freshman, Dybantsa and BYU will have to wait until the NCAA Tournament to continue postseason play, being officially eliminated from the Big 12 tournament.
“Hard-fought battle,” BYU wrote on X. “While our Big 12 Tournament run comes to an end, there’s more basketball to play this season.”
Hard-fought battle.
While our Big 12 Tournament run comes to an end, there’s more basketball to play this season. pic.twitter.com/GWRM1hy3Zv
— BYU Men’s Basketball (@BYUMBB) March 13, 2026
Selection Sunday is on March 15th, and BYU has been forecasted as a bubble team.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the College section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.