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BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) puts up a shot over West Virginia guard Chance Moore (13) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the second round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo.

Charlie Riedel, AP Photo

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BYU's Keba Keita reacts during a Big 12 men's basketball game against Texas Tech at the Marriott Center on Saturday, March 7, 2026.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU head coach Kevin Young is seen on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against West Virginia in the second round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo.

Charlie Riedel, AP Photo

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PORTLAND, Ore. — There were likely several times during the season — in the midst of a losing streak, on a bad road trip or after yet another season-ending injury — that the players and coaches on the BYU men’s basketball team doubted themselves.

It’s human nature: Adversity causes questions and doubts.

But it also provides an opportunity to get tough.

The Cougars simply went back to work after each dark moment and still reached their goal of making the NCAA Tournament.

No. 6 seed BYU opens March Madness on Thursday at the Moda Center against No. 11 seed Texas, and the Cougars know exactly how they got there.

I’m big this time of year on you can’t just make stuff up,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said. “You have to rely on the things you’ve done throughout the course of the season. With our team right now, that season has been short just in terms of the iteration of this team that we’re playing (with). So I think the thing they’ve sunken their teeth into are things that allow you to be win in the post-season, which is your defense, which is rebounding, which playing together offensively. That’s what this group has found some success with. So those are things that we’re trying to carry over into the tournament.”

The recovery from the last big bomb — a season-ending injury to senior leader Richie Saunders — came with a home victory against then-No. 10 Texas Tech, followed by a pair of victories in the Big 12 Tournament (against Kansas State and West Virginia) before taking a potential Final Four team, Houston, down to the final few minutes in the quarterfinals.

“I think we just persevered,” BYU freshman A.J. Dybantsa said. “A lot of teams have injuries. We had about four season-ending injuries. But we still persevered. We still showed that we were resilient.”

Dybantsa has taken on more leadership responsibility and played more minutes on top of being the nation’s leading scorer at 25.4 points per game.

“We didn’t give up on each other,” sophomore guard Robert Wright III said. “We stayed together. I think it brought us together and brought us a lot closer, and we were just rolling at the right time.”

Success in the building: The last time BYU played in the Moda Center was in 2021, a dominant performance in an 81-49 destruction of No. 12 Oregon.

Been here before: Five BYU players have NCAA Tournament playing experience, though two of them (Saunders and Dawson Baker) are out for the season due to injuries. Senior center Keba Keita played for the Cougars last season in the NCAA’s; Wright competed for Baylor in the tournament last season and walk-on Jared McGregor was on the roster but did not play in 2024 and 2025.

SCOUTING REPORT

Texas earned its trip to Portland the hard way, blowing a double-digit lead against North Carolina State in their First Four matchup but finding a way to win. Tramon Mark hit a tough fall-away jumper with 1.1 seconds left for a 68-66 victory in Dayton on Tuesday.

“We watched them play last night,” Wright said. “We actually watched them while we had our team dinner. They’re a really fast-paced team. And they’ve got that big guy (7-footer Matas Vokietaitis) and he’s just really dominant down low. They look to get other guys involved and No. 12 (Mark) hit some big shots.”

The Longhorns then jumped on a flight to Portland to be there for Wednesday’s practice and media availability in the Moda Center. Texas head coach Sean Miller said there was delay in getting out of Dayton and the team’s flight didn’t leave until 3 a.m. EDT.

“We have a big respect for the Big 12 Conference,” Miller said. Arizona, “I’m very familiar with. You look at the top teams in that league — Iowa State, Houston, Kansas — they (BYU) are one of the top teams, No doubt we are playing against a quality opponent that’s investing in their program. You feel that. I think they’re going to be in this tournament in a prominent role for years to come.”

BYU last played Texas in 2024 when the Longhorns were still in the Big 12. The Cougars won 84-72 at the Marriott Center.

Since then, Texas has been playing in the Southeastern Conference. This season (the first for Miller in Austin after stints at Xavier and Arizona) the Longhorns were 9-9 in league play and had lost five of their past six games before the win against North Carolina State.

Does Texas have an advantage having played and won a tournament game, albeit on a different floor in Dayton?

“No, I don’t think so, because I think in March, every team is hungry and just wants to win,” Wright said. “So I think it just comes down to who wants it more in these type of tournaments.”

Dybantsa, who broke the Big 12 Tournament freshman scoring record held by Kevin Durant, will get a chance to face his favorite player’s alma mater on Thursday.

Texas head coach Sean Miller called Dybantsa a “generational talent” and hesitated to make any pro comparisons.

“AJ is his own player, obviously, but that’s the unique path he goes down,” Miller said. “His size, mobility, skill level, his mindset of being able to be a smart player, make his teammates better, get to the foul line, how he gets to the foul line, makes it very difficult.

“The one thing that’s different about somebody like AJ is that scoring punch, getting fouled and doing it in a different way where he has the ball in his hands at his size. But he’s an amazing talent. Look, I’d really fall short if it just stops with him. He obviously plays for a really, really good coach, who puts him in that position, is obviously teaching him how to play the game. Then he’s surrounded by a great group of teammates.”

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament

First Round

No. 6 seed BYU (23-11) vs. No. 11 Texas (19-14)

Thursday, 5:25 p.m. MT

Moda Center, Portland

TV/Streaming: TBS

Radio: BYU Radio

Live stats: byucougars.com

The Word: This is BYU’s 33rd NCAA appearance and the Cougars have posted a 17-35 all-time record. … BYU has earned its third straight NCAA berth, the longest streak for the program since Dave Rose took the Cougars to six consecutive tournaments from 2007-2012. … Texas defeated North Carolina State 68-66 in a First Four game on Tuesday. … BYU holds a 5-2 record all-time against the Longhorns. … The winner will move on to Saturday’s second round against the winner of Gonzaga and Kennesaw State.