If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: BYU basketball and Duke basketball are on the exact same level.
Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but take a moment to consider this bonkers stat.
In the last two NBA Drafts, only two college basketball programs have produced back-to-back top-10 picks: BYU and Duke. That's wild to think about.
Two programs had back-to-back top 10 NBA Draft picks in 2025 and 2026.
— Robby McCombs (@rtmccombs) June 24, 2026
BYU
Duke pic.twitter.com/ExEijzPzYG
Obviously, BYU's additions to this metric are AJ Dybantsa (the number-one pick in the 2026 class) and Egor Demin (the 8th pick in the 2026 class). From Duke, it's Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in 2025, and Cameron Boozer in 2026.
Duke has long been a mainstay at the top of the draft order -- BYU hoops not so much. Besides Jimmer Fredette, BYU basketball had been essentially absent from the draft's first round since Rafael Araujo, who went eighth overall to the Utah Jazz in 2004.
Many youngsters reading this article have likely never even heard of Araujo, and he's one of the highest-drafted players in program history.
But this new batch of talent arrives thanks to the vision of head coach Kevin Young, who arrived in Provo with the goal of transforming BYU's basketball program into a pseudo-NBA boot camp -- the premier destination for the nation's best talent to prepare for a career in the league. Both Demin and Dybantsa were 5-star freshmen with no previous connection to the LDS Church, BYU's sponsor religious organization. This season, Bruce Branch III assumes the mantle of those who came before him, all the way down to wearing the same number-three uniform.
Richie Saunders likewise became an NBA player in the latest NBA Draft after a successful four-season career at BYU. Joining the Memphis Grizzlies with the 32nd overall selection, Saunders was introduced alongside first-round picks Cameron Boozer and Karim Lopez.
Kevin Young has made good on his promise, and BYU basketball is rapidly ascending among the ranks of the best recruiters in the nation -- even with the inherent limitations of the school's Honor Code.
The output from BYU basketball has been remarkable, and by all appearances, the Cougars are only getting started.
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