KANSAS CITY - BYU's point guard Rob Wright emerged from the Cougars' 105-91 victory over Kansas State in the Big 12 tournament looking like he'd been through a battle. And in a way, he had. Wright's night took a turn when he took an elbow to the face, courtesy of KSU’s CJ Jones, leading to a dental emergency and a cut lip requiring stitches.
With about 12 minutes left in the game and BYU holding onto a 73-67 lead, Wright found himself in need of a dentist after a tooth was knocked out of place. Despite this, the good news came when it was confirmed he did not suffer a concussion, allowing him to declare himself ready for the next matchup against West Virginia.
Recounting the incident, Wright explained, “I was playing defense and No. 3 tried to do a Euro-step and he elbowed me in my mouth. It felt like my lip wasn’t on my mouth anymore.”
The trainers quickly attended to him, and a dentist was called in to reposition the tooth. “He pulled it back forward, and put it back in place,” Wright added, describing the painful ordeal.
Before leaving the game, Wright had put up 14 points on 5 of 12 shooting, along with six assists in 28 minutes. Even while receiving medical attention, he stayed connected to the game, getting scoring updates from the court.
Reflecting on his performance, Wright said, “Before I got hurt, I was just trying to keep the same energy from the Texas Tech game going.” He had previously scored 27 points in their win over the No.
10 Red Raiders. Wright also praised his teammates, particularly the reserves, for stepping up.
Freshman Khadim Mboup made a notable contribution by grabbing 14 rebounds, tying him for third-most among freshmen in Big 12 tournament history.
Coach Kevin Young described Wright’s injury as a “lip laceration” and expressed confidence that his sophomore guard would be ready to face the Mountaineers. “Everything else checked out,” Young said. “Rob’s a pretty tough young man, and I will assume he is going to play.”
In the postgame locker room, Wright shared some personal news, stating he has no plans to enter the transfer portal after the season. If he stays in college, it will be at BYU. “I am super excited to be a part of the BYU family, and I just love it here,” he said, focusing on the present and helping his team win games.