The 9th-ranked Cougars of BYU are a force on the hardwood this season. Legitimate top-10 talent in AJ Dybantsa, Richie Saunders, and Rob Wright have been a pestulence against each of BYU's opponents, including then-23rd Wisconsin, Miami, Dayton, and even top-5 UConn through the non-conference slate.
BYU approaches this meeting with the 7-2 Clemson Tigers with just one loss to their name, a 2-loss stumble against Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies, and have only otherwise tasted their own blood in a narrow ESPN Events Invitational final against Dayton, a game where Saunders' 29 points earned him tournament MVP honors and his team the first place trophy.
In their most recent action, the Cougars took Cal Baptist onto the freeway without wheels, as Dybantsa, Saunders, and company used their speed, transition offense, and pure force of will to pummel the overmatched Lancers for the Cougars' third Delta Center victory of the season, 91-60. Yowch.
Clemson may provide one of the toughest challenges of Kevin Young's season to this point however. A Tiger squad out of the ACC nearly tackled the 12th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa during their last taste of action (at the time of publishing), falling in Alabama by just six points.
The Tigers stand at 7-2, having lost to Georgetown earlier in the year -- a Hoyas team that fell to Dayton in the ESPN Events Invitational -- and will be playing their second-straight top-25 game in this tie-up with BYU. For the Jimmy V Invitational in Madison Square Garden, these two teams are afforded the chance to make a statement to the NCAA Tournament selectors and the college basketball world as a whole.
Win this game for BYU, and they stand poised to cruise to a one-loss non-conference stretch before Big 12 play. Should the Tigers come out on top, they'll receive a much-needed boost before approaching their in-conference ACC gauntlet.
How can I watch BYU vs Clemson? Jimmy V Invitational
Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Time: 4:30 PM MT
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Channel: ESPN