Struggling Cougars desperate for a win in guard Rob Wright’s return to Baylor

WACO, Texas — A few weeks ago, BYU’s only basketball game at Baylor this season held a lot of intrigue because it marks the return of former Bears guard Rob Wright III to Foster Pavilion.

Wright averaged 11.5 points, 4.2 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game last year for Baylor, and was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team before transferring in controversial fashion to BYU.

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Understandably, Baylor coach Scott Drew and the Baylor faithful were not happy about it.

That aspect of Tuesday’s 5 p.m. MST matchup is still in play, obviously.

But for the reeling Cougars, the Big 12 encounter at the three-year-old arena across Interstate 35 and the Brazos River from Baylor’s football stadium means much more than that. It is not too much of a stretch to say that BYU’s once-promising season could reverse course, or plummet further into mediocrity, pending the results of its 11th league game.

The rematch of BYU’s 93-89 overtime win over the Bears last year in Provo will be televised by ESPN.

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“I think they just played Iowa State tough,” Wright said late Saturday night after the Cougars’ 77-66 loss to No. 8 Houston. “It is on the road. It is the Big 12, so it is going to be a tough game. Just trying to get a win.”

Asked if it will mean anything extra or special to him, the 6-foot-1 point guard from Wilmington, Delaware, shook his head.

“Nah, it is just (about) trying to get a win,” he said.

When he was asked about his return by BYUtv, Wright said it is “nothing personal at all” and repeated that the only thing he is focused on is ending the Cougars’ four-game losing streak.

In an exclusive interview with the Deseret News last April after he had signed with BYU, Wright said BYU assistant coach John Linehan, a former Providence College standout, reached out to his family to gauge his interest in visiting Provo, and the rest is history.

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Wright said the opportunity to play with freshman AJ Dybantsa, who is leading the country in…

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Publish date : 2026-02-10 00:00:00

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