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BYU's Keba Keita (right) blocks a shot attempt from A.J. Stohrs of Kansas in a Big 12 men's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Tuesday. Feb. 18, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU forward AJ Dybantsa goes for a layup against TCU during the first half of an NCAA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Provo, Utah.

Rob Gray, AP Photo

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For a guy averaging just short of seven points per game, BYU’s Keba Keita sure does make some spectacular plays.

Sometimes it’s a soaring alley-oop dunk or a thunderous follow slam. Sometimes it’s an athletic offensive rebound to keep a possession alive or a powerful block that sends the ball into the 12th row.

Keta is consistently featured in whatever highlight reel comes out after a BYU game.

“He’s got a really good feel for the game, particularly on that end of the floor,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said. “He’s got great timing, but, but you overlay the athletic ability and just his body on top of that, then you’re able to get things done like he is on that end of the floor. I don’t know if the outside world would realize just how good of a feel he has for the for the game.”

The 6-foot-8 senior was named to the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list this week, a group of the top 25 defensive players in the country. Five of those players are from the Big 12, including somebody Keita and the Cougars will face on Saturday: Flory Bidunga of Kansas.

Keita has been remarkably consistent in his two seasons in Provo:

Points per game

2024-25: 7.4

2025-26: 6.9

Rebounds per game

2024-25: 7.9

2025-26: 7.8

Offensive rebounds per game

2024-25: 2.9

2025-26: 2.8

Field goal percentage

2024-25: 67%

2025-26: 68%

Blocks per game

2024-25: 1.2

2025-26: 1.9

A couple of areas of improvement for Keita have been in free throw percentage (41% last year to 58% this season) and foul frequency (1.8 fouls per game this season, down from 2.3 last year).

“He has a feel for when to come over and block a shot, when to stay back and go rebound, when to be aggressive with his deflections and so forth,” Young said. So he just has a really good, natural, knack for those things.”

SCOUTING REPORT

ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Lawrence on Saturday to hype up the showdown between two of the country’s top freshmen in BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson.

Last year, Peterson scored 58 points in Prolific Prep’s 88-86 victory against Utah Prep, where Dybantsa scored 49 points.

This season, their numbers are remarkably similar, with Dybantsa averaging 23.6 points per game and Peterson 21.6. Peterson has only played in ten games due to injury, though Kansas coach Bill Self said he expects his star freshman to be available on Saturday.

“They’re good, we’re good,” Young said. “They have a good player and good players, we have a good player and players. It’s what you want. You want to play in games that matter and are meaningful and you want people to watch.”

BYU goes from playing against one elite defensive team (No. 1 Arizona) to another in No. 14 Kansas. The Jayhawks are especially effective in the half court, where they are No. 1 in Big 12 games in field goal percentage defense (.379), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.291) and blocked shots (6.15 per game).

“That’s the beauty of playing in our league, right?” Young said. “Arizona is one of, if not the best defensive teams in the country. We thought we finally cracked the code on them and scored 52 points in the second half. So it’s more about identifying to the players the things that we stand on offensively.

“I thought our ball movement was way, way better in the second half than it was in the first half of that Arizona game. And how do you relate that to Kansas, they do a tremendous job protecting the rim. Bidunga is a force in there, and they make it hard in the paint. So our spacing is going to have to be good. Our ability to play off two feet when we drive and not throw up reckless shots is going to have to be elite. And if we do those things that will give ourselves a really good chance to have a good offensive night.”

Men’s College Basketball

No. 13 BYU (17-3, 5-2 Big 12) at No. 14 Kansas (15-5, 5-2 Big 12)

Saturday, 2:30 p.m. MT

Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.

TV/Streaming: ESPN

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

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: Saturday’s game features two of the top freshmen in the country in BYU’s AJ Dybantsa (23.6 points per game) and Kansas’ Darynn Peterson (21.6). … The Cougars lead the overall series with the Jayhawks 4-3 and won 91-57 in Provo last February. … In 2024, BYU won 76-68 at Allen Fieldhouse. … Kansas is second in the Big 12 in home attendance (15,310 per game) and the Cougars are first (18,054).