BYU's AJ Dybantsa's first — and only? — trip to the NCAA tournament ends in a first-round upset loss to Texas The star BYU freshman poured in 35 points in a 79-71 first-round loss to No. 11 Texas, but the No. 6 Cougars’ lack of depth proved costly in the West region matchup. Dybantsa, a projected top-10 NBA draft pick, dominated the game, yet BYU’s roster struggled to match Texas’ depth and size. The Cougars’ bench contributed zero points, as Texas’ Matas Vokietaitis controlled the paint with 23 points and 16 rebounds. Dybantsa’s performance highlighted his potential, as he became the first freshman since Steph Curry in 2007 to score 30+ points in his NCAA tournament debut. He shot 11-of-25 from the field and went 12-of-12 at the free-throw line. However, BYU’s reliance on Dybantsa and Robert Wright III left the team vulnerable. Wright added 14 points, but the rest of the roster combined for just seven field goal attempts. The Cougars were 4-of-22 from beyond the arc, missing key guard Richie Saunders, who was sidelined by a season-ending knee injury. Texas’ balanced attack, with four players scoring in double figures, proved too much for BYU. Tramon Mark led the way with 19 points, while Dailyn Swain and Jordan Pope added 14 and 11 respectively. Pope’s 3-pointer with 1:29 remaining cut BYU’s deficit to four, but the Cougars couldn’t sustain the momentum. A missed opportunity to close the gap came after Aleksej Kostic’s 3-pointer, followed by a turnover from Dybantsa. BYU’s struggles began earlier in the season. Despite starting 16-1, the Cougars lost five of six games in conference play. Saunders’ injury in February exacerbated the team’s issues, forcing Dybantsa to take at least 20 shots in seven of BYU’s last nine games. The team went 4-5 in that span, underscoring the challenges of relying on a single player.#texas #aj_dybantsa #byu #matas_vokietaitis #tramon_mark
