5 Reasons BYU Will Kickoff Its March Madness Run With a Win over Texas

When the bracket revealed that BYU would play a team from the First Four, the ghosts of 6-seeds' past brought haunted memories of BYU being matched up with 11-seed UCLA. The Bruins had an opportunity to shake off the rust before beating BYU enroute to the Final Four. Texas similarly won a 68-66 thriller on Tuesday to get its NCAA tournament started right, but does that spell doom for the Cougars? Perhaps not. Here are five reasons BYU will begin another March Madness run on Thursday.

Mar 7, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) and forward Keba Keita (13) reacts during the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

1. Texas’s travel schedule

Let's recap the last 96 hours for Texas. On Monday, the Longhorns hopped on a flight from Austin, Texas to Dayton, Ohio. On Tuesday, Texas survived a late-game barrage from NC State in a game that ended just before midnight local time. 12 hours later, the Texas squad had taken a 3 time-zone flight and were sitting at media availability by 11:30 am in Portland. In 48 hours, the Longhorns flew over 3,500 miles, roughly the distance from New York City to London. In that same time, they had to prepare a game plan for NC State, keep their season alive, and immediately turn their focus to stopping the 9th best offense in the country in BYU. Figuring that out while jet lagged sounds like a nightmare.

2. Texas’s last 7 games

If you think BYU struggled down the stretch, Texas snuck their way into the tournament losing 5 of their last 6 and hadn’t beaten a top 40 since January 24. That stretch included a 10-point loss to then 12-19 Ole Miss last week that would have sunk their tournament hopes if not for every other bubble team also falling flat on their face. Texas boasts an extremely talented roster that can beat anyone if they get hot, but over the last 2 months and change, this is a team searching for an identity as BYU seemed to find its groove in Kansas City.

3. Texas’s defense is a great match up for BYU’s style of play

Nov 21, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars guard Robert Wright III (1) drives against Wisconsin Badgers guard Nick Boyd (2) during the first half at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

BYU’s offense has been awesome this season, but it’s struggled when opponents can do any of the following: force live ball turnovers, keep AJ Dybantsa from getting to the line, and keep Rob Wright from finishing at the rim. Texas hasn’t proven they can do any of those things.

The Longhorns rank 94th in defensive efficiency per KenPom and are outside the top 300 in the country in turnover percentage defense, free throw rate allowed, 3-point percentage allowed, and block percentage. Texas isn’t a particularly big team, with only 1 player over 6’8 which is a good sign for guys like AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright who have struggled at times this season against opponents with significant frontcourt length. With Wright facing a defense that doesn’t block shots, Dybantsa facing a defense prone to foul, and BYU’s shooters facing a defense that gives up open looks, BYU shouldn’t have an issue scoring at will.

4. A BYU defense that’s engaged is a good defense

While Texas has struggled on defense this season, this team can score with the 18th most efficient offense in the country. BYU's defense was flatly bad during the last 3 weeks of the regular season, but it might be wise to chalk that up to effort rather than ability. When BYU plays its best, they look like they can play with anybody. Since February 18th, BYU has played 4 top 20 offenses and held all of them to under 80 points. During the Big 12 tournament, BYU improved its defensive ranking by 20 spots in a three-game run with a conference title at stake. BYU might have been a team that lost focus on defense at times this season, but they are far from incapable of stopping Texas’s potent attack when the lights come on.

5. AJ Dybantsa has a date with destiny

Mar 7, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) celebrates with fans after a win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

In the last 50 years of BYU basketball, every noteworthy March Madness run has featured a player that currently resides on its Mount Rushmore. BYU has one of those players this year. AJ Dybantsa joined Jimmer Fredette and Danny Ainge as the only players in BYU history to be a first team AP All-American, and has routinely been the best player on the floor against the best teams he's played. If all Dybantsa played this season was tournament teams, he would still lead the country in scoring at 23.6 points per game.

A mythical performance from AJ just kind of feels like his birthright. Last week, Dybantsa broke the freshman Big 12 tournament scoring record held by his idol Kevin Durant last week and now has his March Madness moment against Durant’s Alma Mater on Thursday. Frankly, AJ being immortal on the biggest stage is the expectation.