Cougs Daily

BYU Earns Signature Win Over No. 6 Iowa State

The Cougars finally notched a marquee conference win over the Iowa State Cyclones
Casey Lundquist|
Feb 21, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) reacts during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images
Feb 21, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) reacts during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

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BYU Cougars

On Saturday night, the no. 23 BYU Cougars took down the no. 6 Iowa State Cyclones 79-69. It was BYU's first real signature win in conference play. The Cougars have been competitive in so many games against some of the top teams in the country. They finally got over the hump on Saturday night in a critical win over Iowa State.

Iowa State was coming off a big win over no. 2 Houston. The NCAA released a preview of the NCAA Tournament bracket before this game and they had Iowa State as a 1-seed. The Cougars potentially knocked Iowa State down a seed with the win.

BYU true freshman superstar AJ Dybantsa put together one of the best games you will find by a true freshman. Against an Iowa State defense that is one of the best in the country, Dybantsa had 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. When BYU needed a bucket, it was almost always Dybansta scoring himself or setting up one of his teammates.

Perhaps most notably, BYU got relatively little production out of Rob Wright III. Wright III had just 6 points on 2/8 from the field. All of Wright's points came in the first half.

That meant Kevin Young needed production from his role players and that's exactly what he got. Kennard Davis scored 17 points on 6/13 from the floor. With Saunders out of the lineup, Davis will be needed more as a scorer. He delivered against the Cyclones. By this author's estimation, Davis has been used more in the offense and the added touches have helped him settle into the rhythm of the game.

Khadim Mboup provided a spark as soon as he came off the bench. Mboup had 10 rebounds, 9 of which came in the first half. The rebounding disparity was a major storyline in this game. Iowa State came into the game as one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country. The Cougars allowed only 6 offensive rebounds and out-rebounded Iowa State 39-28.

Last but certainly not least, there was new starter Mihailo Boskovic. Boskovic has replaced Richie Saunders in the starting lineup the last two games. Boskovic deliverd perhaps his best game of the season against Iowa State. Boskovic finished with 13 points on 5/11 from the floor. He hit a critical three down the stretch to keep Iowa State at arm's length.

BYU needed to show the NCAA selection committee that they could win without Richie Saunders in the lineup. There's no better way to do that than taking down a potential no. 1 seed.

The Cougars will be back in action at the Marriott Center on Tuesday night against UCF.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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