What to watch for when top-ranked Arizona men’s basketball visits No. 13 BYU

Arizona is off to the second-best start in school history, winning its first 20 games by an average of 22.2 points. The run began with the Wildcats navigating a nonconference gauntlet, one that included five ranked opponents including defending national champion Florida and UConn, the team that claimed the two titles before that and which sits right behind them at No. 2 in the AP poll.

But the competition over the past month hasn’t been nearly as tough. Since starting Big 12 play on Jan. 3 the UA has beaten seven conference opponents who are a combined 17-32 in the league. None of them have better than a 4-3 record in the Big 12.

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“We haven’t really won anything,” guard Brayden Burries said last Wednesday, after a 77-51 win over Cincinnati. “We haven’t accomplished what we want to accomplish yet.”

It’s still only January, but Arizona’s level of competition will take a big jump on Monday night with a visit to No. 13 BYU. It’s the first of seven games left in the regular season against ranked opponents, including six out of seven at one point.

“We know there’s going to be some real challenges ahead,” Lloyd said. “We’re protecting nothing because we’ve done nothing. We’re a program that’s more excited about what’s ahead than protecting what we’ve already accomplished. What lies ahead for us is BYU.”

The teams play twice this season—BYU comes to Tucson on Feb. 18—and split their meetings in 2024-25, with each winning on the other team’s court.

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Here’s what to watch for when the Wildcats face the Cougars on Big Monday:

A 3-headed attack

BYU is led by freshman AJ Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 forward who is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He’s coming off a freshman school-record 43 points on Saturday against Utah, and for the season is averaging 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on 55.4 percent shooting.

“What I’ve always been impressed about with AJ is not only is he a supreme talent…

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Publish date : 2026-01-26 00:00:00

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