The Cougars exceeded expectations both seasons, tying for fifth in 2023-24 and tying for third in 2024-25.

Expectations are much higher this season before the first tip of the basketball.

BYU, which earned a No. 8 ranking in the preseason Associated Press poll earlier this week, has been tabbed by league coaches to finish second in the Big 12, behind national runner-up Houston. The red Cougars nabbed 14 of the 16 first-place votes, with BYU and Arizona receiving one each.

Two of the nation’s top freshmen, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, were unanimous selections to the preseason All-Big 12 team, with Peterson earning the nod as Freshman of the Year. Cougar senior Richie Saunders was also selected to the All-Big 12 team, with Texas Tech’s JT Toppin garnering preseason Player of the Year honors and teammate LeJuan Watts, a transfer from Washington State, as Newcomer of the Year.

Saunders returns for his senior season after earning First Team All-Big 12 accolades last season, after leading the Cougars to their first Sweet 16 appearance in more than a decade. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged a team-high 16.5 points per game in 2024-25, shooting 51.8 percent from the field, 43.2 percent from three and 83.5 percent from the free throw line.

In Big 12 play, Saunders ranked fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.9 points per game as the Cougars won their final eight games of the regular season to finish in a tie for third after being picked ninth in the preseason poll. He shot a conference-best 45.1 percent from behind the arc, including three games with six triples.

Dybantsa was one of four unanimous selections to the all-league team as the freshman is coming off a summer where he was named the MVP of the FIBA U19 World Cup, leading Team USA to a gold medal. The 6-foot-9 forward finished his high school career as the No. 1 recruit in the country (ESPN), McDonald’s All-American and two-time participant in the Nike Hoop Summit, highlighted by a 24-point performance in Team USA’s overtime victory in 2025.

The Cougars take the court on Saturday with an exhibition against Nebraska at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. Tip is scheduled for Noon CT on B1G+.