AJ Dybantsa delivered a dominant 40-point performance Tuesday night, leading BYU to a commanding 105-91 win over Kansas State in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, Missouri.
The standout player also grabbed nine rebounds and recorded six assists in the impressive victory. Kennard Davis Jr. contributed significantly with 15 points, primarily in the second half, while Robert Wright III chipped in 14 points during the first half alone. The 10th-seeded Cougars improved to 22-10 and will take on seventh-seeded West Virginia in Wednesday night’s second round.
Kansas State, entering as the 15th seed with a 12-20 record, received strong efforts from P.J. Haggerty who tallied 27 points. Nate Johnson contributed 19 points with 14 coming in the opening half, and Khamari McGriff added 13 points to the losing effort.
BYU finished the first half strong with a 7-0 scoring run, featuring back-to-back fast-break dunks from Dybantsa, giving them a narrow 50-49 halftime advantage. The Cougars seized control early in the second half when Aleksej Kostic and Davis connected on consecutive three-pointers, stretching their lead to 56-49 and maintaining the advantage throughout the remainder of the contest.
In other tournament action, 12th-seeded Arizona State defeated 13th-seeded Baylor 83-79, with Anthony “Pig” Johnson contributing 19 points off the bench. The Sun Devils (17-15) will face fifth-ranked Iowa State on Wednesday afternoon.
Andrija Grbovic scored 14 points for Arizona State, while Santiago Trouet recorded 13 points and nine rebounds. Baylor (16-16) was paced by Cameron Carr’s 25 points and seven rebounds, with Isaac Williams IV adding 15 points and Tounde Yessoufou contributing 14.
Cincinnati kept their NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a 73-66 victory over Utah. Ninth-seeded Cincinnati (18-14) got 19 points from Jalen Celestine and a strong all-around effort from Baba Miller, who posted 11 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists. The Bearcats will face eighth-seeded UCF in Wednesday’s second round.
Moustapha Thiam recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Cincinnati, which has won seven of its last nine games. Utah (10-22) concluded their season on a six-game losing streak, with Terrence Brown leading all scorers with 22 points and Keanu Dawes adding 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Oklahoma State advanced with a 92-83 win over Colorado behind Anthony Roy’s 24 points and Christian Coleman’s 17 points and 14 rebounds. The 14th-seeded Cowboys (19-13) controlled the boards 44-34 and outscored the 11th-seeded Buffaloes 40-30 in the paint, earning a matchup with sixth-seeded TCU on Wednesday night.
Jaylen Curry added 15 points and five rebounds for Oklahoma State. Colorado (17-15) received 22 points and eight rebounds from Bangot Dak, while Barrington Hargress finished with 18 points and nine assists.
