BYU basketball knows the road ahead in the Big 12.
The conference released the Cougars’ 2026-27 men’s schedule Tuesday, giving Kevin Young a full look at his third season in charge as he chases another NCAA Tournament trip. The slate starts Jan. 2 at Arizona State and closes with the Big 12 Conference Tournament in Kansas City from March 10-14.
The schedule is loaded with the kind of matchups that can shape a season fast. BYU gets Arizona, TCU, Utah and several other league opponents in both home-and-away meetings, while a few road trips stand out immediately: Arizona State, Iowa State, Houston, Colorado and UCF all await the Cougars away from Provo.
Arizona is the headliner. The Wildcats are coming off a Big 12 title and a Final Four run, and Tommy Lloyd’s team still looks like one of the league’s biggest 2027 threats.
BYU was close twice against Arizona in 2026 and came within three points of knocking off the No. 1 Wildcats in Provo.
TCU brings another familiar challenge. The former Mountain West rival has reached the NCAA Tournament in four of the past five seasons under Jamie Dixon and won a first-round game as a No. 9 seed last year. The Cougars took the lone 2026 meeting 76-70 at the Marriott Center, and they’ll see the Horned Frogs twice again this season.
The Utah games should draw plenty of attention too. BYU and the Runnin’ Utes meet Jan. 16 in Provo and Feb. 6 in Salt Lake City, with Alex Jensen’s group trying to build momentum and erase last season’s two losses to the Cougars.
There’s also a clear revenge angle built into the schedule. BYU will host Cincinnati, West Virginia, Arizona and Oklahoma State after losing to each of them last season. Houston remains a road-only hurdle for the Cougars, who are still looking for their first conference win over the Cougars.
Texas Tech is the lone Big 12 opponent BYU will face just once. That meeting lands March 5 in Lubbock, a standalone primetime Friday night game after the teams played twice last season.
The women’s program now has its full 2026-27 slate as well, released Thursday.
BYU women’s basketball opens with an exhibition against Western Colorado on Oct. 27 before rolling through a nonconference stretch that includes Idaho State, Portland, Montana, Bethune-Cookman, New Mexico, Utah State, Northern Colorado, Utah Valley, the St. Pete Showcase against Fairfield and Boston College, and home games against Southern Utah, Cal Baptist and Weber State.
The team also travels to Oregon State on Dec. 5.
Big 12 play begins Dec. 19 at Arizona and continues with a packed league schedule that includes home dates with Kansas State, Houston, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, UCF, Kansas, Arizona and Utah, plus road trips to Baylor, Colorado, Texas Tech, Utah, Iowa State, Cincinnati and West Virginia. The women’s conference tournament is set for March 3-7 in Kansas City.
In Other News...
BYUs 2-0 Start Has A Breakout Star Fans Didnt See Coming
BYUs 2-0 start has come with an unexpected name popping up everywhere on the stat sheet. Cannon DeVries, the sophomore defensive back, has quickly become one of the Cougars most valuable players, leading the team in tackles while also giving the special teams unit a spark with his work as a kick and punt returner. His impact has stretched across both sides of the ball, and the coaching staff has leaned into his versatility at the nickel position.
The early-season resume already includes a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown in the opener, the kind of play that can change momentum for a young team in a hurry. Just as important for BYU, DeVries has looked steady enough in the defensive backfield to keep earning snaps, and teammates have taken notice of how naturally he has fit into a larger role. The bigger question now is how far that emergence can carry him as the schedule toughens and opponents start treating him like a player they have to plan around. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas States Fast Start Faces Its First Real Test Under Collin Klein
BYUs first Big 12 win came in convincing fashion, with Bear Bachmeier throwing for 217 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-17 victory over Arizona. It was the kind of league-opening result that can change the tone around a program quickly, especially with Oklahoma State already notching a defensive win against Oregon and Utah rolling past Idaho and Arkansas. For the Cougars, the early conference picture already has some shape to it, and the results around the league are starting to matter.
Kansas State has also opened strong under Collin Klein, putting together two wins as it heads into a matchup with Tulane. The Wildcats have looked steady in the early going, but this next game is the first real chance to see how that start holds up against a different kind of test. For BYU, it is another reminder that the Big 12 race will be full of moving parts, and that the teams getting off to clean starts are the ones worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Tight End Duo Is Becoming A Real Problem For Defenses
BYUs offense has found something useful early in the season in a tight end room that looks deeper and more dangerous than it has in years. USC transfer Walker Lyons and Oregon transfer Roger Saleapaga II have both flashed as pass catchers and as blockers, giving the Cougars a pair of versatile options who can stay on the field in a variety of looks. Coaches have already pointed to this group as the best tight end unit BYU has had since 2018, and it has the feel of a position that can quietly shape how the offense functions week to week.
What makes the setup even more interesting is that Lyons and Saleapaga are not being treated like an either-or proposition. BYU expects them to play significant roles together, with additional depth behind them helping keep the position fresh and flexible. For a team looking for reliable mismatch options and more physicality at the point of attack, that kind of two-headed threat can be a real headache for defenses trying to sort out who is blocking, who is releasing and where the ball might go next. [Read more 🡒]