BYU basketball has been an unsteady ride during the tenure of Kevin Young at head coach. A former NBA assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns, the Cougars brought Young on with the expectation of delivering professional-grade staff and facilities to a blossoming basketball program.
In terms of recruiting, the pairing has been a tremendous success. Egor Demin, Richie Saunders, Robert Wright III, AJ Dybantsa, Bruce Branch III, Jaxon Kohler, and Collin Chandler are just a few of the names that Young and his staff were able to recruit to join -- or return to -- BYU basketball. They've added three 5-star freshman recruits to the roster in his three years of recruiting (he's batting 1.000 in that respect) and are the apparent leaders to land a fourth five-star talent in AJ Williams next year. They also swiped Robert Wright III, a five-star transfer from Baylor and one of the best guards in the nation, through the portal.
That's a tremendous level of success for a program that had never seen a five-star recruit in its history.
On-court success has been a bit more variable.
In year one, Young's scrappy but deep team of veterans started out slow but quickly turned into one of the hottest teams in the stacked Big 12 Conference, reaching the conference quarterfinals and blazing a run to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, with wins over VCU and Big Ten Champion Wisconsin pushing the Cougars to the second weekend for the first time since Jimmer Fredette was tossing 30-foot bombs with "Brigham Young" printed across his chest.
In year two, Young added Robert Wright III and AJ Dybantsa, the number-one player in the class of 2025 and the eventual number-one overall NBA Draft pick in 2026. He paired them with Richie Saunders, an All-Big 12 first-team honoree and eventual draft pick, to create perhaps one of the best three-headed dragons in all of college basketball.
But while the 2024-25 team was deep, the 2025-26 team was frustratingly top-heavy and over-reliant on their trio to carry them through the regular season. It ended swiftly and painfully when BYU lost their first-round matchup with 11-seed Texas in the round of 64.
This season's roster has learned from the folly of the last iteration of BYU basketball.
They retained Rob Wright at point guard for his junior season, swiped Collin Chandler (formerly the highest-graded prospect in BYU basketball history) from Mark Pope and Kentucky, signed freshman star and projected lottery pick Bruce Branch III, and rounded out the roster with Jaxon Kohler, a fifth-year senior who was the backbone of Tom Izzo's Michigan State team a season ago.
And they finally have depth to back up the stars at the top.
Dawson Baker and Nate Pickens fortify the guard line as they return from season-ending injuries last year. Jake Wahlin and Tyler Betsey are a deadly one-two punch in the frontcourt. Khadim Mboup and Brooks Bahr may be the silent killers this season -- two players destined to emerge from the shadows. This is a team loaded with talent, but one that plays complimentary basketball.
Well-balanced, talented, and experienced? This promises to be the best season in the history of BYU basketball, right?
On paper, absolutely. But that's also what we said last year.
In two exhibition games, BYU took down a very good Nebraska team by double-digits and a solid UNLV team in a fierce comeback effort. This team has appeared poised and capable to weather the storm of what should be a deadly gauntlet of Big 12 competition.
Against Ohio State, BYU has the chance to affirm preseason hope. A poor showing in front of a Delta Center crowd, however, and we may have to ask some uncomfortable questions early on.
The Buckeyes were a dangerous side last season, dishing out haymakers to the best teams in the Big Ten Conference and finishing eighth in league play. BYU is favored to win on a neutral floor, but only just. The oddsmakers view this as an evenly-matched duel -- we'll see what the on-floor product has to say about that.
BYU basketball's 2026-27 season begins here. The road ahead does not offer a comfortable journey, but the Cougars are equipped to handle a few bumps in the road.
How to watch BYU vs. Ohio State basketball: game information
Date: Monday, November 2, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM MT
Location: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Channel: FS1
Odds: BYU -1.5
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