Clemson Tigers Eye Signature Win Against BYU at Madison Square Garden

The Clemson Tigers look to avoid a first losing streak of the 2025-26 season in Tuesday night’s duel with another top-ten opponent. 10th-ranked BYU is the foe, as Clemson participates in the 31st annual Jimmy V Classic.

With the Tigers looking to rebound from a six-point loss at Alabama last Wednesday, let’s take a look at BYU and what they bring to the matchup.

Future Lottery Pick AJ Dybantsa

When looking over Clemson’s 2025-26 schedule, only Duke’s Cam Boozer truly compares to the talent level that Dybantsa brings to the table.

A consensus top-five prospect from Brockton, Massachusetts, the lanky 6-foot-9 forward has drawn comparisons to other “one-and-done” wing players from the past, including Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Carmelo Anthony.

“That’s as high a level of shotmaking as you’re going to see in college basketball,” UConn head coach Dan Hurley said in November about the stud freshman. “He had the whole bag going tonight.”

247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein had similar praise for Dybantsa.

“His movement skills are exemplary for a player his size,” Finkelstein said prior to Dybantsa’s commitment to BYU. “He’s able to cover the court like almost no one else in high school basketball. He’s shown flashes of being able to create a lot of havoc on (the defensive) end of the floor.”

Clemson’s perimeter defense will be challenged by facing such a gifted player. Against Georgetown earlier in non-conference play, that area was exploited several times. We’ll see how Brad Brownell deploys his roster to try to slow down Dybantsa.

Battle of Two Underrated Coaches

Brownell has long been one of the nation’s most underrated coaches, potentially due to not coaching a blue-blood program with elite history on the hardwood.

At BYU, Kevin Young is starting to build a solid career of his own. After helping NBA stars like Devin Booker develop during an extensive NBA assistant-coaching career, Young hit the ground running in Provo. The Cougars’ Sweet 16 berth in last season’s NCAA Tournament was proof that the 44-year-old is hitting the ground running.

"I'm excited for him and his family,” Booker said last April. “He’s somebody I developed a great relationship with (in Phoenix). Somebody I wish I could've played college basketball for. He’s a real one.”

Watching Brownell and Young match wits at the Mecca of Basketball should be captivating and a potential NCAA Tournament preview. Both squads sit comfortably in the field at the moment, with several resumé-building opportunities remaining on the schedule.

Elite ball Security

Both Clemson and BYU have done an excellent job of taking care of the ball when on offense this season. The Tigers are averaging just 8.8 turnovers per game (5th-fewest in the nation), while BYU has turned it over just 9.5 times per contest. That mark by the Cougars is the second-fewest in the Big 12.

As is often the case in these early-season matchups between tournament contenders, whoever earns extra possessions (from offensive rebounds or turning the opponent over) will be key.

No. 10 BYU Cougars (7-1, 0-0 Big 12)

Head coach: Kevin Young (2nd season, 33-11 record)
20 seasons of NBA coaching experience before leading the Cougars
Most wins by a first-year head coach in program history (26)
Named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award
Awarded annually to the top first-time head coach in Division I

Advanced rankings*: (need to fix)
9 in KenPom (Clemson is 25)
8 in NET (Clemson is 26)
10 in BPI (Clemson is 21)

* - out of all 365 Division I teams

Record by quadrant:
Quadrant 1: 2-1
Quadrant 2: 3-0
Quadrant 3: 0-0
Quadrant 4: 2-0

Notable wins: vs Villanova (71-66), vs Wisconsin (98-70), vs Miami (72-62), vs Dayton (83-79)
Notable losses: vs UConn (86-84)

Stat Leaders

Leading scorer: F AJ Dybantsa, 19.4 points
Leading rebounder: F Keba Keita, 7.1 rebounds
Assist leader: G Robert Wright III, 6.1 assists

Series History

Clemson is 2-0 all-time against BYU, with the most recent meeting taking place in the 1990 NCAA Tournament’s First Round. The 5th-seeded Tigers took down the 12th-seeded Cougars 49-47 in a defensive battle at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut.

Quick Facts

Brad Brownell sits at 299 career wins at Clemson entering Tuesday’s game.
Clemson is 1-0 all-time in the Jimmy V Classic. The Tigers defeated Seton Hall 62-59 at the now-defunct Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on December 19, 1997.
Clemson is 2-4 all-time at Madison Square Garden. Most recently, SMU defeated the Tigers 65-59 in the NIT Semifinals on April 1, 2014.