This season it’s all about isolation, where true freshman AJ Dybantsa and sophomore transfer guard Rob Wright III can get to the basket any time they want and basically get any shot they want.

The devil is in the details, though, and the decision making of Dybantsa and Wright is going to be on display every night.

Monday’s 71-66 victory against Villanova in Las Vegas illustrated this point.

“I think it will be a ‘pick your poison’ kind of thing,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “I thought they (Villanova) were going to protect the paint more than they did, which is what they did in their exhibition against Virginia. But we have two guys in Rob and AJ I think can get to the rim against any opponent any night. I think that’s definitely something we’ll get used to. At the same time, there has to be areas of growth. You can’t just drive to the rim and throw something up. We have to do a better job of paint decisions.”

Dybantsa led BYU with 21 points on 9 of 18 shooting, with six rebounds and three assists. Down the stretch, Cougar coach Kevin Young put the ball in Dybantsa’s hands and he scored four straight baskets.

Wright scored 14 points but was just 5 of 16 (31%) from the field, with many of his misses at the rim. He also only produced one assist in 31 minutes.

Young said he’s confident his young stars will continue to make progress.

“The thing I love about both these guys, truly, is how much they want to improve and learn,” Young said. “Rob has made huge strides since he first got here. And AJ … at halftime I just whispered something to him about how I thought he was going in and just kind of jumping wildly over (Duke) Brennan. And then in the second half I think you saw him being a little bit more calculated with his drives. So these guys are really coachable and we’ll definitely get better in that respect.”

Both Dybantsa and Wright are willing passers. National pundits who have watched BYU practices always come out of them raving about Dybantsa’s passing ability. In Wright’s freshman season he produced Baylor freshman records in assists in a game (13) and a season (148).

How last year’s leading scorer, Richie Saunders, fits into this new offensive style remains to be seen. Saunders — who was fighting the flu on Monday — scored 15 points but was 4 of 13 from the field, including 1 of 4 from the 3-point line. In two exhibitions and one regular season game, Saunders is 12 of 37 (32%) from the field and 6 of 23 (26%) from the 3-point line.

A small sample size, but something to watch nonetheless.

Scouting Report

Welcome to BYU’s whiplash non-conference schedule, which transitions from a marque matchup against traditional powerhouse Villanova to the home opener against Holy Cross, picked to finish ninth (out of ten) in the Patriot League.

That’s how the Cougars’ schedule is built this year, BYU fans.

Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Mass., with an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students. As a basketball program, the Crusaders last made the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and won a game in the First Four.

Last season, Holy Cross was 13-19 overall and 5-13 in league play. The Crusaders lost leading scorer Max Green, a 6-foot-6 freshman who averaged 15 points per game last season, to Northwestern. The program returns two starters, including 6-6 junior Joe Nugent, who provided 12.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game and made 85 3-pointers at a 43% clip.

The Crusaders will get a boost from 6-foot sophomore guard Tyler Boston, who was limited to ten games last season due to a foot injury but averaged 9.1 points and 3.8 assists per game.

Holy Cross opened the season with an 89-79 loss to Providence, trailing 44-27 at halftime. Boston led the Crusaders with 25 points, including 10 of 11 from the foul line.

Men’s College Basketball

Holy Cross (0-1) at No. 8 BYU (1-0)

Saturday, 7 p.m. MT

Marriott Center, Provo

TV/Streaming: ESPN+

Radio: KSL 102.7/1160 AM, BYU Radio-Sirus XM 143,

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: This is the first all-time meeting between BYU and Holy Cross. … The two schools are 2,447 miles apart. … This is the Cougars first game against a current Patriot League member since beating Army 81-72 in 1973. … BYU was 15-2 in the Marriott Center last season with losses to Arizona and Texas Tech. … The Cougars have won their previous 19 home openers including last year’s 88-50 victory against Central Arkansas, the largest margin of victory for a coach in his first win.