BYU basketball has become something of a big ticket over the last calendar year since the introduction of Kevin Young. Combining Young's basketball supercomputer with the unique offerings of Brigham Young University turned out to be a catalyst for a shockwave of basketball brilliance.
In just one season, Young led the Cougars to their first NCAA Tournament win since Jimmer Fredette's senior year, and kept the party rolling alongside Richie Saunders and Egor Demin to take down the 3rd-seed Wisconsin Badgers and earn a spot in the Sweet 16.
With the incoming addition of AJ Dybantsa -- the top overall recruit in the 2025 recruiting class -- among a heap of elite talents lining the metaphorical pockets of coach Young's depth chart, BYU basketball has quickly become something of a mainstay in next season's way-too-early top 25 lists.
It's not surprising to hear BYU will participate in some premier matchups in the non-conference schedule. Though already scheduled to take on Villanova in the season-opener, the Cougars were announced to participate in this season's Jimmy V Classic to square off against the Clemson Tigers.
Clemson, a perennial NCAA Tournament participant, will be a formidable test for the Cougars as they work to gel their squad before running the Big 12 gauntlet.
A friendly reminder from last season, BYU basketball was far from a top-25 caliber team in the opening weeks of the schedule, as they lost big to Providence and struggled with consistency against even some of the weaker foes in their path.
Learning the team's identity early will be crucial to delivering in-conference and postseason success. Especially with the talent to make a deep tournament run, the Cougars don't want to get caught underinflated when it matters most. On a nationally televised game from Madison Square Garden, it's hard to envision a better way to simulate high-stakes basketball in the early season.
This matchup should share plenty about BYU basketball in the 2025-26 season, and will be a perfect venue to display a richly gifted squad. Every day is one day closer to what may become the greatest BYU basketball team ever constructed.