Aleksej Kostic's departure from BYU hoops was one of the most shocking developments of the Cougars' offseason.
As a player who had developed into a regular role in Kevin Young's system, Kostic had differentiated himself as a sharpshooter with a silky-smooth jump shot. While just a freshman, he still managed to play critical minutes in the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
Sure, BYU's rotation had thinned out significantly with injuries to several key contributors, but Kostic had become the Cougars' primary three-point weapon. By all appearances, this Austrian had planted his roots in Provo.
But he abandoned ship, and found a new home with Northwestern in the Big Ten. Under typical circumstances, these two teams' paths would not likely cross. In fact, this is just the second time the two have met on the basketball court, with the first taking place back in 1989; it was a one-point win for BYU under the Marriott Center's roof.
Kostic will have his chance at revenge with the Wildcats as early as this season, however, as the two agreed to meet at the Delta Center in 2026.
NEWS: BYU and Northwestern are finalizing an agreement to meet next season at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, according to multiple sources.https://t.co/U0VG1ivUO3
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 15, 2026
It's unclear what Kostic's role will be for Northwestern next year. The team finished 15-19 in 2025-26, which was good for 15th in the Big Ten Conference. No, the Wildcats are not a contender for the conference's throne in 2026-27, either, but that could have been a factor for Kostic, a player who started in just 5 games for a BYU team that only ran about 8 players deep on a good day.
Though he's dynamite from distance (eclipsing 36.7% on the year, despite a slow start), Kostic was a non-factor at the defensive end. He doesn't have great positional size, and needs to spend many more hours in the weight room before he could be considered a plus-defender out on the perimeter. Offensively, however, there were obvious flashes of self-creation and playmaking upside as a freshman. He'll look to build off of his freshman experience at Northwestern.
BYU basketball will be heavily favored in this matchup, as they've reloaded in the absence of Dybantsa and Saunders with Bruce Branch and Collin Chandler. Even with the looming question mark in the center department, expect the Cougars to be the favorites.
An official date has not been set for this meeting.
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