{"id":572386,"date":"2026-01-31T06:29:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T06:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/572386\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T06:29:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T06:29:16","slug":"can-no-13-byu-upset-no-14-kansas-again-at-allen-fieldhouse-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/572386\/","title":{"rendered":"Can No. 13 BYU upset No. 14 Kansas again at Allen Fieldhouse? \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

LAWRENCE, Kansas \u2014 ESPN\u2019s \u201cCollege GameDay,\u201d a one-hour pregame show, is here at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, a historic jewel in the country\u2019s heartland that will host its 1,000th Kansas basketball game.<\/p>\n

Cougars on the air<\/p>\n

No. 13 BYU (17-3, 5-2) at No. 14 Kansas (15-5, 5-2)<\/p>\n

Saturday, 2:30 p.m. MSTAt Allen FieldhouseTV: ESPNRadio: BYU Radio 107.9 FM \/ BYURadio.org \/ BYU Radio app<\/p>\n

Students have been gathered at the venerable 15,300-seat arena since Tuesday morning in anticipation of what is being billed as the most significant game of the day in the Big 12, maybe even the entire country.<\/p>\n

Then, of course, Saturday\u2019s 2:30 p.m. MST showdown on ESPN pitting No. 13 BYU and No. 14 Kansas will feature two freshmen<\/a> who will almost surely be among the top three players selected in June\u2019s NBA draft \u2014 BYU\u2019s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas\u2019 Darryn Peterson.<\/p>\n

The hype for this one has been off the charts for days, even more than Monday when BYU hosted No. 1 Arizona.<\/a><\/p>\n

Forgive BYU coach Kevin Young for not really noticing. The second-year coach who cut his teeth in the NBA said Friday in his weekly press briefing that he doesn\u2019t \u201clive in a hole\u201d and understands there is \u201csome talk\u201d about the Dybantsa-Peterson duel, but stressed that it will be just one aspect to the game, and not the prevailing one.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve noticed being around really good players for my whole life, pretty much, is all that stuff is way bigger of a deal to everyone who is not the player.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 \u00a0BYU coach Kevin Young<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think (them going head to head) is a key to the game at all,\u201d Young said. \u201cI think us executing our game plan, which obviously (Peterson) is a large part of, is wildly important. But they\u2019ve played a lot of games without him, and a lot of other guys have found confidence, and so forth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Will the Cougars (17-3, 5-2) and Jayhawks (15-5, 5-2) and their generational talents \u2014 the 6-foot-9 Dybantsa from Brockton, Massachusetts, and the 6-6 Peterson from Canton, Ohio \u2014 deliver the goods? On the line is a possible double-bye in March\u2019s Big 12 tournament in Kansas City, with the winner staying in contention for a top-four finish and the loser dropping out \u2014 assuming No. 1 Arizona (8-0), No. 8 Iowa State (6-2), No. 10 Houston (6-1) and No. 11 Texas Tech (6-1) maintain or improve upon their current standings.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s little margin for error at this point in the regular season, which is two-thirds over.<\/p>\n

Young said the matchup of arguably the top two recruits<\/a> in last year\u2019s signing class hasn\u2019t been mentioned at all in BYU\u2019s camp, let alone by Dybantsa himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I\u2019ve noticed being around really good players for my whole life, pretty much, is all that stuff is way bigger of a deal to everyone who is not the player,\u201d Young said. \u201cNow, does he want to go out and play well? Yeah, but \u2026 he just wants to go win the basketball game. Of course, he wants to play well. But it is not scrutinized in his own mind as probably the media (has done) and makes it out to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut look, I understand it, too,\u201d Young continued. \u201cIt\u2019s a big game, right? In terms of narratives, I\u2019ve had a bunch of executives I\u2019ve seen (are going to) Kansas, this and that. So everyone just knows what it is if you\u2019re on the inside. But it doesn\u2019t rule your life. You just go play the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Kansas guard Darryn Peterson shoots during game against Iowa State, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan. | AP <\/p>\n

Kansas, with a NET ranking of 15, was a 3.5-point favorite as of midday Friday and coming off an 86-62 blasting of rival Kansas State last Saturday in Manhattan, Kansas. Peterson (ankle) did not play in that game, but is expected to play against the Cougars and Dybantsa, a longtime high-profile rival from their high school days. <\/p>\n

Before they were teammates in the McDonald\u2019s All-American Game (Peterson was the game\u2019s MVP), Peterson\u2019s Prolific Prep team beat Dybantsa\u2019s Utah Prep team twice during the 2024-25 season, including an 88-86 decision in which Peterson scored 58 points and Dybantsa 49.<\/p>\n

BYU, with a NET ranking of 14, is coming off Monday\u2019s heartbreaking 86-83 loss to undefeated Arizona<\/a> at the Marriott Center in which Dybantsa struggled to put the ball in the hole, going 6 of 24 from the field and 1 of 8 from 3-point range against what Young called \u201cone of, if not the best, defensive teams in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

BYU key: Getting Dybantsa, Davis back on track<\/p>\n

Young said Friday before the Cougars departed for Lawrence that Dybantsa has \u201cresponded great\u201d in practice and that the Cougars have had two outstanding practices since the loss. He said that aside from the poor shooting, the freshman, who turned 19 on Thursday, did a lot of things well.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really easy to look at shot-making, particularly for stars. And that\u2019s life, right? You got to make shots to win,\u201d Young said. \u201cThere were probably four shots he took that I didn\u2019t love. The rest of them are shots he\u2019s made at an extremely high clip. They didn\u2019t go in. So I don\u2019t necessarily say, \u2018Oh, he had a bad game. He didn\u2019t make shots.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

If the Dybantsa that went 15 of 24 from the field, 4 of 5 from 3-point range and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line for a career-high and BYU freshman-record 43 points in the 91-78 win over Utah<\/a> last Saturday shows up in Lawrence, the Cougars should be in good shape.<\/p>\n

The visitors could also use another strong performance from Kennard \u201cMoo\u201d Davis, who had missed 18 straight 3-pointers before draining all five he took in the second half<\/a> against Arizona. Davis finished with 17 points, his highest output since Dec. 22 against Eastern Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s very important (to get Davis going), just for his own confidence, and for our spacing,\u201d Young said. \u201cHe needs to do what he does, which is make shots from 3 and play defense at a high level. He\u2019s a big part of what we do, so it was good to see him get on the right track the other night.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis will likely draw the defensive assignment of guarding Peterson, who is averaging 21.6 points per game and shooting 49.3% from the field. He has only played in 10 games, however, as injuries have hampered him throughout the season.<\/p>\n

Dybantsa is averaging 23.6 points per game \u2014 second in the country entering the weekend\u2019s games \u2014 on 53% shooting. He is also averaging 6.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think he will respond well. I mean, the kid is a gamer,\u201d Young said of the matchup of superstars. \u201cHe has been in the spotlight his whole life. He knows what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wild scene expected Saturday at the Phog<\/p>\n

Adding fuel to the fire, at least for the Jayhawks: Upstart BYU has owned them in Big 12 games, winning 91-57 last year in Provo in the third-worst defeat in KU history, and 76-68 in 2024 \u2014 Mark Pope\u2019s final season at BYU \u2014 in a stunner at the Phog.<\/p>\n

The only player on BYU\u2019s roster with experience at Allen Fieldhouse is Richie Saunders, who scored five points and had four rebounds and a steal in that monumental road win on Feb. 27, 2024. <\/p>\n

Young said he has practiced at Allen Fieldhouse when he was an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers and the team was in the area to play a preseason game in Kansas City. <\/p>\n

That game was set up for former Kansas star Joel Embiid to return to his \u201cstomping grounds,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n

What can the Cougars do to not get stomped by the hype surrounding the pivotal Big 12 game?<\/p>\n

\u201cJust worry about doing what we have to do,\u201d Young said. \u201cOur guys are mature. I don\u2019t bring it up. \u2026 They\u2019re good. We\u2019re good. They have a good player and players. We have a good player and players.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to play in games that matter and are meaningful, and you want people to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n

It will be BYU\u2019s first game in a \u201cCollege GameDay\u201d basketball broadcast, while Allen Fieldhouse will be hosting the ESPN crew for the 13th time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want that (notoriety) because I think it speaks to where our program is,\u201d Young said. \u201cIf no one\u2019s talking about you, no one\u2019s there and there are no big games. No one cares. \u2026 We need a big win in the Big 12, and all that entails.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"BYU players Richie Saunders, AJ Dybantsa and Robert Wright III huddle around coach Kevin Young as he draws up a play. | BYU Photo <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LAWRENCE, Kansas \u2014 ESPN\u2019s \u201cCollege GameDay,\u201d a one-hour pregame show, is here at Phog Allen Fieldhouse, a historic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":572387,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3724],"tags":[7,723],"class_list":{"0":"post-572386","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-news-feed-national"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115988305318900647","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572386","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=572386"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/572386\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=572386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=572386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=572386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}