BYU defeats West Virginia in second round of Big 12 tournament – Deseret News

by isenews 12 March 2026 0 Comment

Just 11 days after losing in Morgantown, BYU got its revenge on West Virginia in Kansas City.

The Cougars defeated the 7-seeded Mountaineers 68-48 in the Big 12 tournament’s second round on Wednesday, advancing to face Houston in Thursday’s quarterfinal match.

BYU is now 23-10 on the season and 11-9 against Big 12 foes.

3 takeaways

BYU’s defense was outstanding. Considering the Cougars’ defensive struggles throughout Big 12 play, their recent improvement on that end of the floor has been quite impressive.

Against West Virginia, BYU allowed just 48 points, 0.8 points per possession and forced a whopping 22 Mountaineer turnovers, which resulted in 17 points for the Cougars.

In the first half, BYU held West Virginia without a made field goal for separate stretches of more than seven and four minutes each, adding another such stretch of more than six minutes late in the second half.

In those three dominant defensive stretches, BYU outscored West Virginia by a combined 37-10 margin.

Additionally, BYU held West Virginia to 38% shooting and won the rebound battle 35-30, with 16 offensive boards creating 12 second chance points.

Dominique Diomande and Khadim Mboup proved especially impactful defensively off the bench, each posting identical defensive ratings of 92.9 and stop rates of 83.8%.

Mboup grabbed six rebounds, and Diomande piled up three steals in the first half — including one that resulted in a viral windmill dunk for two of his six points on the night.

Kennard Davis Jr. is getting hot at the right time. “Moo” posted his third straight game with 10+ points, marking his first such 3-game stretch of the season.

Davis scored a season-high 20 points, hitting five 3-pointers and getting a pair of put-back buckets from offensive rebounds.

But hustle and effort are what made Davis’ day truly special, swiping two steals and setting the tone defensively for the Cougars.

It’s been an inconsistent campaign for Davis, but Wednesday was his best performance at BYU by far. He’s emerging as a potent perimeter threat, allowing the Cougars to spread the floor and add more creativity to their offense.

It may not have happened until March, but Davis has finally turned into the player the Cougars hoped he’d be when he arrived from the transfer portal.

BYU still misses Richie Saunders, but with how Davis has played this past week, Saunders’ absence hurts a whole lot less.

Speaking of Saunders, since his injury, the Cougars are now 4-0 with him on their bench compared to 0-4 when he’s been gone.

AJ Dybantsa continued his recent historic tear. Another day, another Kevin Durant record broken by Dybantsa, who passed his idol for the most points scored in a 2-game span in Big 12 tournament history.

WEST VIRGINIA COULDN’T GUARD AJ DYBANTSA 😳

Dybantsa passes Kevin Durant for the most points (64) in a two-game span in Big 12 tournament history 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0a1fqvTcDH

— ESPN (@espn) March 12, 2026

After dropping 40 points on Tuesday against Kansas State, Dybantsa poured in another 27 points against West Virginia, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out three assists as well.

In the first half alone, Dybantsa scored or assisted on 22 of BYU’s 31 points. After coughing up six turnovers Tuesday against Kansas State, he turned the ball over just twice on Wednesday.

Dybantsa now has 26 total 20-point games this season, having scored 20 points or more in 12 consecutive contests.