In the 2025-26 college basketball season, BYU hoops was all about the Big 3. The number-one recruit in the 2025 high school class, AJ Dybantsa, obviously drew the majority of headlines, but 5-star Baylor transfer Rob Wright would also arrive in Provo to team up with Dybantsa and the BYU mainstay Richie Saunders.
By all measures, that team was supposed to be incredible. With the high-level talent to match any team in the nation, Kevin Young was leading a buzzsaw through the tangled brambles of the Big 12 Conference. But injuries plagued the team's depth, and the role players beside the Big 3 were ill-equipped to handle the rigors of the season, as the team stumbled to 10th place in the final conference standings and fell to an 11-seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The team was over-reliant on the Big 3. It was their greatest strength and weakness.
That team should have been better. Now with lessons learned and a new Big 3 to take the place of the old guard, there's optimism that the Cougars' new star trio could reach the heights that last season's squad could only dream of.
Wright will return to his starting point guard spot for his junior year. Collin Chandler -- BYU's prodigal son -- is transferring from Kentucky and will play the 2 for Kevin Young in Provo. And most critically, McDonald's All-American Bruce Branch III will suit up for the Cougars in Dybantsa's wake.
No, Bruce Branch is not better than AJ Dybantsa. No, I'm not ready to crown Collin Chandler as the successor to Richie Saunders just yet. Robert Wright III is exactly as good as Robert Wright III, and I will fight anyone on that point.
Though the star power isn't quite as hype-drawing as the Dybantsa era, there's reason to believe that this team could be even better than the 2025-26 bunch, even without the likely number-one NBA draft pick on the roster.
It all comes down to two key points: fit, and team-building.
Chemistry is a huge asset for college basketball teams in the modern day, yet it becomes increasingly uncommon with every passing year. Yes, BYU has lost plenty of key contributors and will be forced to heavily rely on freshmen to carry the load, but this year's team has something last year's severely lacked: reliable three-point shooting.
Wright, Saunders, and Dybantsa regularly accounted for nearly 75%+ of BYU's offensive production last season, as supporting cast members like Kennard Davis and Keba Keita were unable to put the ball through the basket despite being in the starting lineup. There were no pressure-release systems in place. No specialists capable of taking control of a possession and getting a timely basket. This year, alongside Wright, Dawson Baker plans to return for his senior year, as do Brody Kozlowski and Nate Pickens, who spent all of last season out with injuries.
Kevin Young was intentional about supporting his Big 3 with proven college basketball talent, and reliable three-point shooting with players like Tyler Betsey and Jake Wahlin filling in the gaps at the forward position. Account for arrivals like Dean Rueckert and Brooks Bahr, each deadly shooters when given the chance, and BYU has options in 2026 where they didn't in 2025.
Still with four roster spots to fill, however, BYU's rotation needs an offensively capable big man to hold down the paint on defense and finish at the rim at the other end. Until a player like that commits to Kevin Young's team, much of this is only hypothetical.
So maybe the Big 3 2.0 doesn't quite have the star power of version 1.0, but they bring their own unique skills to the table, like Branch's athleticism and physicality, Chandler's 40%+ three-point shooting, and Rob Wright with a season of experience in Kevin Young's system.
AJ Dybantsa won't be walking through that door, but don't be surprised if you see the new stars of BYU basketball surpassing the success of their predecessors.
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