BYU basketball, fresh off an AJ Dybantsa career-high of 43 points and a demolition of rival Utah, now has the great reward of hosting Koa Peat and the undefeated, number-one-ranked Arizona Wildcats on Monday night.
An exciting proposition for a BYU basketball team constructed with such challenges in mind. AJ Dybantsa may be the best player in the nation, Richie Saunders is a gritty and hustle-bound veteran and All-Big 12 First-Teamer that has seen everything the Big 12 could possibly throw his way. Rob Wright is a shifty, slippery, and stress-relieving point guard capable of taking the edge off and keeping the BYU ship afloat. Keba Keita is a defensive shot-blocking nightmare and sworn enemy of all basketball rims.
But when up against the stiffest competition in basketball, namely UConn and (the giant-killers) Texas Tech, the Cougars have yet to play a complete game -- a game in which it feels the team is executing at its full ability from start to finish. A slow first half doomed the Cougars against Dan Hurley's Huskies, even when a second-half comeback nearly saved the day. A nine-point lead in the final 10 minutes against Texas Tech was quickly squandered and flipped into a 13-point defeat.
But both of those games were on the road (or in Boston, in the case of UConn), and now BYU has the benefit of facing the nation's best team with its own fans dominating the airspace. The Marriott Center is still glowing after the collective heat-check it hosted on Saturday, and now, with little rest for either team, the eyes of the college basketball world will turn to whatever is going on in Provo, Utah.
BYU will not be favored to win this game. The Wildcats have been too steady, too dominant, and just too darn good to expect a BYU victory. But if a team as good as Arizona were to be upset along the Big 12 trail, the campus of Brigham Young University would be a prime candidate for its setting.
Of course you want to tune in. Here's everything you need to watch BYU vs Arizona on Monday night.
How can I watch BYU vs Arizona:
Date: Monday, Jan. 26, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM MT
Location: Marriott Center, Provo, Utah
Channel: ESPN