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BYU men's basketball coach Kevin Young gives instructions during a 96-92 victory against Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals at T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City on Thursday, March 13, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Keba Keita (13) gathers in a rebound in a Big 12 men's basketball game against Utah at the Marriott Center on Saturday, March 8, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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It’s safe to say the BYU men’s basketball program has never had a non-conference schedule quite like the one they’ve put together for 2025.

Gone are the days when the Cougars struggled to find power conference opponents willing to play them. Gone are the days when BYU had a hard time building a good resume before conference play.

The Cougars have a possible eight games scheduled against teams from power conferences, though all of them are either exhibitions or neutral site games.

Getting anybody of note to come to the Marriott Center in the non-conference is still a non-starter.

October, November and December has BYU jet-setting to the East Coast three times as well as three games at the Delta Center. Coming off the program’s third Sweet 16 appearance, the Cougars 13-game non-conference schedule includes games against four schools that advanced to last year’s NCAA Tournament, including a rematch with Wisconsin.

For the first time ever, BYU has two exhibition games to open the season: One in Lincoln against Nebraska and one against North Carolina in the Delta Center. The Cougars last faced the Huskers in 2009 in Las Vegas, rolling to an 88-60 victory. BYU last played the Tar Heels was in Las Vegas in 2007, a 73-63 North Carolina win.

BYU will open the season at the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas against Villanova on Monday, Nov. 3, the first time the two team have met since 1984. The Cougars host Holy Cross in the home opener on Saturday, Nov. 8, before welcoming Delaware to the Marriott Center for the first all-time meeting between the two schools on Tuesday, Nov. 11.

BYU will head to the East Coast to face UConn in the Hall of Fame Series Boston on Saturday, Nov. 15, before returning to the Beehive State to take on Wisconsin at the Delta Center on Friday, Nov. 21. They are set to participate in the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Invitational on Nov. 27 and 28 in Orlando, Fla. The Cougars will compete in the Magic Bracket along with Dayton, Georgetown and Miami.

BYU’s third and final game of the season at the Delta Center will be on Wednesday, Dec. 3, against Cal Baptist, followed by a trip to the Big Apple on Tuesday, Dec. 9, to face Clemson in the Jimmy V Classic. It will be the third all-time meeting between the schools and first not happening at the NCAA Tournament (1980, 1990).

The Cougars conclude non-conference play with four straight games in the Marriott Center, beginning on Saturday, Dec. 13, against UC Riverside. BYU is 2-0 all-time against the Highlanders, including an 86-80 win last season when Keba Keita recorded one of his three double-doubles, with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

BYU welcomes former West Coast Conference foe, Pacific, back to Provo on Tuesday, Dec. 16., where they have won six straight in the series. BYU will host Abilene Christian on Friday, Dec. 19 and Eastern Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 23.

Delta Center Series Games played at the Delta Center this season are considered neutral site games and will not be part of the normal season ticket package. Ticket information will be released at a later date.

So why this schedule? A couple of reasons. One, BYU now plays in the Big 12 and has more options to build a good non-conference resume. Second, the Cougars are a hot commodity right now after their Sweet 16 run and are looking for ways to showcase the program as well as the nation’s No. 1 recruit, A.J. Dybantsa.

“There are definitely a lot of good, high level power conference games that should place our season well, so I’m ready for the competition,” Dybanta said on BYU Sports Nation.

Dybantsa recently won the MVP at the U19 World Cup in Switzerland as Team USA won the title.

BYU opens its Big 12 slate at the end of December with home and away games against Arizona, Texas Tech and Utah; home only games against Arizona State, Colorado, Houston, Iowa State, TCU and USF and road only games at Baylor, Cincinnati, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and West Virginia.

BYU Men’s Basketball non-conference schedule

Saturday, Oct. 18 at Nebraska (exhibition)

Friday, Oct. 24 North Carolina (exhibition)

Monday, Nov. 3 Villanova at Hall of Fame Series, Las Vegas

Saturday, Nov. 8 Holy Cross

Tuesday, Nov. 11 Delaware

Saturday, Nov. 15 UConn at Hall of Fame Series, Boston

Friday, Nov. 21 Wisconsin at Delta Center

Thursday, Nov. 27 Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Invitational, Orlando

Friday, Nov. 28 Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Invitational, Orlando

Wednesday, Dec. 3 Cal Baptist at Delta Center

Tuesday, Dec. 9 Clemson at Jimmy V Classic, New York

Saturday, Dec. 13 UC Riverside

Tuesday, Dec. 16 Pacific

Friday, Dec. 19 Abilene Christian

Tuesday, Dec. 23 Eastern Washington