Kevin Young Explains the Final Play Call Against Arizona

The Cougars had a chance to take a lead on the final possession against no. 1 Arizona

Jan 26, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars head coach Kevin Young reacts during the second half against the Arizona Wildcats at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

After an improbable rally in the final 70 seconds of BYU's loss to no. 1 Arizona, the Cougars had the ball and the chance to take the lead with 11 seconds remaining.

BYU inbounded the ball all the way across halfcourt to point guard Rob Wright. Wright attacked the room and had a good look, but Brayden Burries came off his assignment and blocked Wright's go-ahead shot. A pair of Brayden Burries free throws ended the game at 86-83.

BRAYDEN BURRIES BLOCKS THE POTENTIAL BYU GAME-WINNER 😳

ARIZONA ESCAPES UNDEFEATED 🔥 pic.twitter.com/y9CJev1oej

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 27, 2026

After the game, many BYU fans questioned the decision to give Wright the ball instead of star wing AJ Dybantsa. Wright, who is typically one of BYU's best scorers, had struggled up to that point in the game. Wright was 3/15 from the field before attempting the go-ahead shot.

BYU head coach Kevin Young was asked about the decision to go with Wright on the final possession. Young explained that the original plan was to get the ball to Dybantsa.

"Rob's a gamer. You know, we saw it in the Garden," Young said. "I trust him in those moments. Quite frankly, him and AJ, neither one of them had really had it going. But those are our guys and we're going to ride or die with them...the first option was to get AJ the ball. They clogged the area we were trying to get to, and we got the ball in Rob's hands to try to make a play."

As BYU tried to inbound the basketball to Dybantsa, he was being face-guarded by Koa Peat. The Cougars couldn't lob it over Peat's head either, as an extra Arizona defender was in the area to prevent an inbound pass to Dybantsa. Therefore, the ball was sent out to Rob Wright.

As Coach Young pointed out, Rob Wright has already shown up in a similar situation earlier this year against Clemson. Wright hit a game-winning three at the buzzer in Madison Square Garden.

In the end, BYU missed an opportunity to get a signature win against the nation's top team. The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Cougars on Saturday when they take on the Kansas Jayhawks on the road. ESPN's College GameDay will be onsite to preview the matchup. BYU-Kansas will feature two of the top three true freshmen in college basketball in AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson. Dybantsa and Peterson were the two highest-rated recruits in the 2025 recruiting class.