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BYU's Rob Wright (1) goes in for a shot against Wisconsin in a men's college basketball game at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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BYU men's basketball head coach Kevin Young signals in a play during a Big 12 game against Colorado at the Marriott Center on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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Last year, the BYU men’s basketball nonconference schedule was a showcase for the top freshman in the country.

AJ Dybantsa got to display his talents against Villanova in Las Vegas, eventual national runner-up UConn at Boston’s TD Garden Arena, Wisconsin in the Delta Center and Clemson in Madison Square Garden.

Dybantsa was the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft last month and is taking his talents to the Washington Wizards.

This season’s 14-game BYU nonconference slate was announced on Monday and doesn’t have the same marquee look to it, but there are plenty of challenges for a roster with four new starters.

Highlights include the season opener against NCAA qualifier Ohio State at the Delta Center, a trip to the Southwest Maui Invitational and a pair of in-state matchups with Utah State and Weber State.

Kevin Young’s initial season in Provo (2024-25) was the first time BYU hadn’t played an in-state nonconference game since the early 1960’s, so this seems significant.

Last season’s nonconference slate featured eight teams (including a pair of exhibitions) against programs that would eventually make the NCAA Tournament. Nebraska (a No. 4 seed) and North Carolina (6) were the two exhibition opponents. Villanova (8), UConn (2), Wisconsin (5), Miami (7), Cal Baptist (13) and Clemson (8) were the other six.

The 2026-27 nonconference schedule includes four teams that made the NCAA Tournament: Nebraska (another exhibition), Ohio State (8), Queens (15) and Utah State (9). In addition, three of BYU’s possible opponents in Maui were NCAA qualifiers last season: Arizona (1), VCU (11) and Clemson (8).

The Cougars have eight games in the Marriott Center (including the Nebraska exhibition) with Utah State and Weber State the headliners. BYU plays two games the Delta Center as well.

A few other tidbits from BYU sports information about the schedule:

– BYU will face Northwestern (and former Cougars Alexsej Kostic) and Northern Colorado for the first time in school history.

– The Cougars will play in the Maui Invitational for the fifth time and has posted a 6-6 record.

– BYU has won 26 straight nonconference games at the Marriott Center and 40 of their past 42 nonconference matchups in Provo since the beginning of the 2021-22 season.

Meanwhile, the plot thickens in terms of Young completing his 2026-27 roster and adding a big man or two. A lawsuit by players who ran out of eligibility before the NCAA passed the “5 in 5” rule (five seasons in five years) has brought a former American Fork and Michigan State standout into the forefront. Jaxson Kohler, a 6-foot-9 center, is reportedly interested in playing his fifth year in Provo. Kohler is currently competing for the Utah Jazz Summer League team. He could continue his professional journey, return to Michigan State or find another college landing spot depending on the result of ongoing litigation from the NCAA.

Last season Kohler averaged 12.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for the Spartans.

The Cougars are still working to clear 7-5 Chinese center Xu Xin for college eligibility and have also reportedly contacted 6-10 center David Okwera, who has played the past five seasons in the Australian National Basketball League.

2026-27 BYU Men’s Basketball Schedule