{"id":617772,"date":"2026-02-22T13:01:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-22T13:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/617772\/"},"modified":"2026-02-22T13:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-22T13:01:16","slug":"byu-earns-long-awaited-signature-win-in-upset-of-no-6-iowa-state-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/617772\/","title":{"rendered":"BYU earns long-awaited signature win in upset of No. 6 Iowa State \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

All season long, BYU had come up short against elite opponents.<\/p>\n

There was a 2-point heartbreaker against UConn back in November. Two setbacks against Arizona came by a combined 10 points. A late collapse at Texas Tech resulted in a loss, Houston beat the Cougars in their own building and Kansas thwarted what could have been an epic comeback at Allen Fieldhouse.<\/p>\n

It had become the most disappointing and frustrating of trends. Every time BYU had the opportunity to capture a marquee win for its r\u00e9sum\u00e9, the Cougars couldn\u2019t seal the deal.<\/p>\n

Until Saturday night, that is.<\/p>\n

After beginning the year 0-6 against top 15-ranked squads, BYU finally broke through \u2014 and left no doubt \u2014 for a 79-69 upset of No. 6 Iowa State, treating the sold-out Marriott Center crowd to the arena\u2019s most electric night of the Kevin Young era thus far.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been neck-and-neck with top five teams,\u201d BYU star AJ Dybantsa said. \u201c… We knew we were right there and it was just a matter of time where we collectively brought it together and got a dub.<\/p>\n

\u201c… I mean beating a top-6 team, it\u2019s definitely a statement win. They\u2019re obviously one of the better teams in our league. I think this can be the blueprint going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) drives the ball between Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson, right, and guard Nate Heise during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) reacts after a foul was called on him during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"Ronald A. Rasband, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, looks to high-five BYU President C. Shane Reese after a play against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) celebrates his 3-pointer against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"A BYU fan holds up a sign during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Richie Saunders claps for his teammates from the bench during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Richie Saunders, right, hugs center Keba Keita (13) as Keita wears a headband honoring Saunders, who recently tore his ACL in a previous game, after BYU defeated Iowa State 79-69 in an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Aleksej Kosti\u0107 (6) drives the ball to the basket while guarded by Iowa State forward Blake Buchanan, left, during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Richie Saunders, left, who recently tore his ACL in a previous game, talks with Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith after BYU defeated Iowa State 79-69 in an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) hangs on the rim after dunking the ball against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) is helped up by Nick Greer after a play against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) calls out to his teammates as he\u2019s guarded by Iowa State guard Killyan Toure (27) during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) is tended to by coaches as he walks off the floor during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) goes up for a shot while guarded by Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic, right, during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward Khadim Mboup (7) guards Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson (5) during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) guards Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson (5) during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU head coach Kevin Young talks with a referee during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) chases down the ball after it got loose from an Iowa State player during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) slaps hands with guard Robert Wright III (1) between plays against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU center Keba Keita (13) takes a foul shot during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) dunks the ball on a fast break during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU head coach Kevin Young talks with guard Robert Wright III (1) at the end of a timeout during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Richie Saunders, center, watches a play unfold from the bench during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU fans react after an Iowa State player hit a 3-pointer during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU head coach Kevin Young calls out to his players during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) reacts after dunking the ball against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU head coach Kevin Young calls out to his players during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Robert Wright III (1) guards Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson (5) during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward Khadim Mboup (7) dunks the ball against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) looks to rebound a foul shot from one of his teammates between Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic, left, and guard Nate Heise, right, during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU center Keba Keita (13) wears a headband honoring guard Richie Saunders (15), who recently tore his ACL in a previous game, during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) high-fives fans after BYU defeated Iowa State 79-69 in an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) dunks the ball against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU head coach Kevin Young celebrates with fans after BYU defeated Iowa State 79-69 in an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU head coach Kevin Young talks with guard Robert Wright III (1) at the end of a timeout during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) drives the ball toward the basket while guarded by Iowa State guard Jamarion Batemon (1) during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU center Keba Keita (13) dunks the ball on a fast break against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU fans celebrate after an Iowa State player missed a foul shot during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) takes a foul shot during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU center Keba Keita (13) dunks the ball past Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson (5) during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) shoots the ball while guarded by Iowa State forward Blake Buchanan (23) during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) grabs his own rebound against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) goes up for a shot against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) takes and makes a 3-pointer against Iowa State during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU guard Kennard Davis Jr. (30) goes up for a shot while guarded by Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic (22) during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls out to his players during an NCAA basketball game against BYU held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) talks with his teammates as they huddle between plays during an NCAA basketball game against Iowa State held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News \"\"BYU forward Mihailo Boskovic (5) dunks the ball past Iowa State forward Blake Buchanan (23) during an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News <\/p>\n

BYU played inspired basketball, nearly doubling Iowa State\u2019s paint points (40 to 22) and winning the rebound battle by a 39-28 margin, including 12 offensive boards for 10 second chance points. <\/p>\n

The Cougars outworked and out-hustled Iowa State with the kind of fight you\u2019d expect from a team desperate to change its narrative, finally topple a giant and prove it belongs in the conversation of college basketball\u2019s best.<\/p>\n

Six previous losses to top 15 teams didn\u2019t dampen BYU\u2019s drive. \u201cPounding the rock,\u201d as Young put it after falling to Arizona earlier this week, finally paid off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it just says a lot about the guys in the locker room,\u201d Young told reporters postgame. \u201cYou know, no one\u2019s really batting an eye. They understand that we\u2019ve faced a lot of adversity and no one\u2019s blinked, honestly. They\u2019ve stayed together and they\u2019ve kept working … I think our guys, if anything, have actually gotten more confident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of confidence \u2014 this writer can confidently say Dybantsa turned in his finest performance to date in the upset effort. BYU\u2019s freshman phenom played all 40 minutes, scoring 29 points on 10 of 17 shooting with 10 rebounds, nine assists, a block and a steal.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was unbelievable. AJ can do whatever he wants on the basketball court,\u201d Young said. \u201cWhatever he puts his mind to, he can do. The guy is an absolute stud, and I think he\u2019s showing people night in and night out how reliable he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

But most impressive in Dybantsa\u2019s night was his defensive excellence, drawing the assignment of guarding Iowa State\u2019s leading scorer Milan Momcilovic and limiting the 51% 3-point shooter to just five points on 1 of 5 shooting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I liked about tonight was he did it on both ends of the floor, and it\u2019s something I\u2019ve challenged him with from the second I met the young man,\u201d Young said of Dybantsa. \u201cReally, really proud of his complete game. I thought it was his most complete game of the season.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dybantsa\u2019s heroics were joined by breakout performances from Kennard Davis Jr. and Mihailo Boskovic, who combined for 30 points, nine rebounds and five made 3-pointers to replace Richie Saunders\u2019 lost production.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a lot to be said about opportunity and confidence. Those guys understand that now that Richie is out, their numbers are going to get called more,\u201d Young said. \u201c… I think it\u2019s a little bit easier to get into a rhythm when you have that mindset, but at the same time, they get all the credit because they\u2019ve stayed ready and they\u2019ve been able to deliver.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Cougars avoided stumbling into another slow start, making eight of their first 14 shots and setting the tone intensity-wise from the jump.<\/p>\n

After Iowa State took a 1-point lead with 6:34 remaining in the first half, BYU proceeded to rip off a 13-0 run, holding the Cyclones scoreless for nearly six minutes. The Cougars would never trail again.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur defense has been a little up and down, you know, so I thought our defense allowed us to get out in transition,\u201d Young said. \u201cTheir half court defense is as good as it gets in the country, right? So we wanted to open the game up as best that we could, and it\u2019s hard to do that if you\u2019re not getting stops and rebounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Iowa State clawed back to within three points in the second half, the Cougars rose to the occasion once again by holding the Cyclones without a made field goal for more than four and a half minutes, with the subsequent 13-3 stretch putting the game out of reach and securing the 10-point victory.<\/p>\n

As a whole, BYU shot 50% from the field and averaged 1.25 points per possession against the Cyclones\u2019 top 10 defense. <\/p>\n

The Cougars made just 28% of their 3-pointers, but their dominance in the paint and on the glass made up for such unremarkable deep shooting, along with their 14 fast break points and 13 points from turnovers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Keba Keita scored nine points with six rebounds, a block and three steals, while recent riser Khadim Mboup came off the bench to grab 10 boards \u2014 including nine in the first half \u2014 with five points and tremendous defense.<\/p>\n

\u201cKhadim\u2019s a warrior, man, and he\u2019s got a knack for rebounding,\u201d Young said. \u201cHe\u2019s an unbelievable rebounder, he just has a nose for the ball. He\u2019s a highly, highly competitive young man. You can\u2019t put a stat on energy and how it permeates to the group.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Rob Wright III scored just six points on 2 of 8 shooting, he dished out four assists, swiped three steals and only turned the ball over once against one of the best turnover-generating teams in the country. <\/p>\n

Likewise, Dybantsa coughed up just two turnovers compared to his nine assists.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey both played 40 minutes each against a team who has the highest turnover percentage defensively in the country, and they had 13 assists and three turnovers,\u201d Young said of Wright and Dybantsa\u2019s efficiency. \u201cI mean, that and the rebounds is why we won the game, bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n

BYU also got plenty of help from its home crowd, as the Marriott Center was the most raucous it\u2019s been since the Cougars\u2019 famed Gonzaga win back in 2020.<\/p>\n

Prior to Saturday, all of BYU\u2019s highest points of the season had come outside of Provo in the likes of Madison Square Garden, Walt Disney World and the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. <\/p>\n

Thus, the fact that the much-needed signature victory came in a home environment meant a great deal to everyone involved, but especially Young.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to lie, it\u2019s been a long couple weeks, you know, trying to keep the boys in the boat and trying to keep everybody focused on the task at hand,\u201d Young said.<\/p>\n

\u201c… I have to say, the ROC is special. That was the loudest I\u2019ve personally ever heard this building, it was unbelievable. (The fans) do so much for our guys. <\/p>\n

\u201c… I know I\u2019m the head coach here, but at the end of the day, I\u2019m a fan of basketball. I love basketball and I love the passion that surrounds it, and I don\u2019t know if you\u2019ll find a more passionate fan base than BYU. They helped carry us to a huge win.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"BYU head coach Kevin Young celebrates with fans after BYU defeated Iowa State 79-69 in an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News <\/p>\n

Aside from the win, however, BYU earned something even more valuable against Iowa State: belief.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so powerful when a group believes in themselves,\u201d Young said. \u201cI try to pour that belief into them the best that I can. And look, we have toughness, we have rebounding, we take care of the ball. You know, shot making is going to be probably the thing that ultimately makes or breaks us, but then you have dynamic guys like like AJ and Rob. So when you have all that stuff, then you\u2019ve got a chance to beat anybody in the country. <\/p>\n

\u201c(Iowa State) is really good. I think they\u2019re they\u2019re a Final Four caliber team along with other teams that we\u2019ve been right there with. I\u2019m excited to see our guys\u2019 confidence level and how that builds. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know every year is different, obviously, but towards the end of last year, we we hit our stride kind of at the right time. You\u2019re hopeful that you can kind of do the same thing this year with this group.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All season long, BYU had come up short against elite opponents. There was a 2-point heartbreaker against UConn…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":617773,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3723],"tags":[7,217,231,772,1544,1111],"class_list":{"0":"post-617772","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-basketball","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-college-basketball","10":"tag-ncaa","11":"tag-ncaa-basketball","12":"tag-ncaab","13":"tag-news-feed-local"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116114419082294743","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617772","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=617772"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617772\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}