With Boston Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Derrick White in attendance, BYU freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa — widely expected to be the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft — dropped 25 points at TD Garden on Saturday night in a blockbuster matchup with UConn.
With his team down big in the second half, Dybantsa showed resilience by shrugging off a quiet individual first half and leading BYU to a thunderous comeback that almost resulted in a miraculous win. UConn ended up holding on by a score of 86-84.
Dybantsa was 8-of-14 from the field, 2-of-3 from three, and 7-of-10 from the line. He showed off smooth scoring ability at all three levels. He also added six rebounds and two steals.
Dybantsa’s length and athleticism were huge assets for BYU’s defense down the stretch as the Cougars went into a full-court press to try and force UConn into turnovers.
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BYU was ultimately doomed by poor three-point shooting (31 percent), with star guard Richie Saunders having an off-night from downtown (0-for-7).
Dybantsa is a native of Brockton, Massachusetts. He posted a message to X on Friday that read, “Excited to be back home in Boston this weekend.” The 18-year-old prospect originally attended St. Sebastian’s school in Needham, Mass, before transferring to Prolific Prep (Napa, California) and later, Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah).
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Dybantsa, along with Kansas Jayhawks guard Darryn Peterson and Duke Blue Devils big man Cam Boozer, are seen as the top three players in the upcoming draft. Saturday night was a particularly impressive showing from Dybantsa because of the mental fortitude and fight he displayed.
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His physical gifts and outstanding skill set for his size is already well-known; there’s a reason he’s the potential No. 1 pick. But to see Dybantsa claw his team back into a game against an opponent as tough as UConn was evidence that this kid is a gamer and a legit competitor.
