There’s something about January 26 at the Marriott Center. Maybe it’s the altitude.
Maybe it’s the energy. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s BYU basketball’s knack for rising to the moment when the lights are brightest.
Fifteen years ago to the day, Jimmer Fredette turned the building into a madhouse with 43 points in a legendary upset of then-undefeated, No. 4 San Diego State.
Now, on another January 26, the Cougars are staring down a similar opportunity - this time against the top-ranked, 20-0 Arizona Wildcats. And once again, BYU has a generational talent ready to lead the charge.
Enter AJ Dybantsa.
If you haven’t seen him yet, now’s the time. The freshman forward has been everything BYU fans hoped for and more. He’s explosive, confident, and built for big moments - and Monday night is shaping up to be just that.
“That was one of the reasons I picked BYU,” Dybantsa said. “I didn’t want to duck any smoke. I just wanted to play the best basketball, I think, in the best league.”
That league, of course, is the Big 12 - a gauntlet of elite programs, hostile arenas, and relentless competition. And Arizona, in their first season in the conference, has looked every bit the part of a juggernaut.
They’re undefeated, they’ve knocked off five ranked teams - including No. 3 UConn on the road - and they’re leading the Big 12 in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
That’s not just dominant. That’s scary.
BYU, ranked No. 13 and fresh off a rivalry win over Utah, has already racked up eight Quad 1 and 2 wins this season. But Arizona?
They’ve got eight Quad 1 wins alone. Monday’s showdown is the first of five straight Quad 1 games for the Cougars - a stretch that could define their season.
And make no mistake: the Marriott Center is ready.
This is the first time BYU has hosted the No. 1 team in the nation since 2017, when Gonzaga came to town and left with a win. A month later, BYU stunned the Zags in Spokane, handing a 29-0 team its first loss. That’s the kind of energy this game carries - the kind that turns a regular-season matchup into a program-defining moment.
There’s also some recent history between these two teams. The last time BYU and Arizona met, it ended in controversy and drama.
In Tucson last February, Richie Saunders hit two clutch free throws in the final seconds to lift the Cougars to a 96-95 win. Arizona hasn’t forgotten.
And neither has BYU.
Adding fuel to the fire: Arizona was the last team to beat BYU in Provo. That was back on February 4, 2025. Since then, the Cougars have turned the Marriott Center into a fortress.
No surprise, then, that ESPN slotted this matchup into its “Big Monday” primetime slot - BYU’s first appearance on the iconic broadcast since its Mountain West days. The national spotlight is back, and the timing couldn’t be better.
This game also features a fascinating subplot: the battle of the freshman phenoms.
On one side, Dybantsa - BYU’s do-it-all forward and emotional spark plug. On the other, Arizona’s Koa Peat, a versatile forward averaging 14.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
These two know each other well. They’ve shared the court for Team USA in three straight FIBA World Cups, winning gold together at the U16, U17, and U19 levels.
Now, they’ll go head-to-head in one of the season’s most anticipated matchups.
“It’s going to be a tough game, but that’s what you live for,” Dybantsa said after Saturday’s win over Utah. “Obviously, I know Koa.
For the last three years I’ve been winning gold medals with him, but it’s gonna be a great environment. We’re looking to hand them their first loss.”
There’s mutual respect between the two, and between the programs as well. Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd, who coached both Dybantsa and Peat on the U19 squad, had high praise for BYU’s star freshman.
“AJ is not only the most talented player on the floor, he also lets the other talented players play really well,” Lloyd said. “A lot of times you get a young talent like him, and he can kind of suck the air out of the room. AJ’s not like that.”
Lloyd didn’t stop there. He called BYU a “really good basketball team” with a strong culture, a great coach, and an environment that makes life tough for visiting teams.
And he’s right. BYU’s success this season has been driven by its “Brig 3” - Dybantsa, Saunders, and Rob Wright III - who’ve combined for nearly 70% of the Cougars’ scoring.
Arizona, meanwhile, brings a more balanced attack. Peat is one of five Wildcats averaging double figures, and two more players are just shy of that mark.
That contrast in styles sets up a critical possession battle. Both teams are among the best offensive rebounding squads in the Big 12, and second-chance points could swing the outcome.
“That’s part of who we are, who we’ve been,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said. “The possession game is going to be very critical.”
Young also addressed the quick turnaround from Saturday’s game - a unique challenge for BYU, which doesn’t practice on Sundays. But rather than seeing it as a setback, he views it as preparation for what’s to come.
“I actually like when the regular season schedule gets funky because I think it prepares you well for the postseason,” Young said. “You never know how quick your turnarounds are going to be in the conference and NCAA tournaments. Monday will be a good thing we can reference later in the year.”
And he’s not wrong. This game could be a turning point - not just for BYU’s season, but for the program’s trajectory in the Big 12.
A win over the nation’s No. 1 team on national television? That’s the kind of moment that echoes for years.
“They’re walking into a crazy environment,” Wright said of Arizona. “I know the fans are going to be behind us and the team will be ready to get a win.”
So here we are again, January 26 at the Marriott Center. The stakes are high, the crowd will be electric, and history might just be ready to repeat itself.