UConn HC Details Challenges of Containing AJ Dybantsa
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The UConn Huskies walked into TD Garden unbeaten and unbothered with a 4–0 start backed by three comfortable home wins and a neutral win.
However, the BYU Cougars forced the Huskies into their first real drama-packed act of the season, which led to cutting a 20-point second-half deficit into a single possession before UConn finally won 86–84.
The near-collapse had an evident catalyst, and it was none other than the former No. 1 recruit in the country and projected top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa. And that ultimately is who head coach Dan Hurley couldn’t stop talking about afterward.
Perhaps, because, for the first 20 minutes, the Huskies looked like the team that hadn’t lost a step. They shot 57.1% from the field and 45.5% percent from deep in the first half. The Huskies defended the arc into oblivion and felt in full control. And then Dybantsa turned the game around.
Potential No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa against UConn at TD Garden:
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 16, 2025
25 PTS | 8-14 FG | 2-3 3PT | 6 REB pic.twitter.com/gTyIU3cIss
Dybantsa had four first-half points, turning into a ferocious 21-point second-half avalanche. Suddenly, the pace of the game had changed, and the pressure was building. As Hurley explained, guarding someone like Dybantsa comes with a level of difficulty that doesn’t show up in a scouting report.
“Some of it was self-inflicted, but some of it is guarding maybe the best offensive player in college basketball, a potential No. 1 pick,” Hurley said, leaning into the reality every team facing BYU will live with this winter. “I just thought there were times early in the second half where he posted us up, and he went like tap-tap, and on the second tap, I think we could have gotten an offensive foul on him. But we got a little sloppy with the technique, and once he got it going, that’s what players as special as him start doing. But I thought we actually guarded him well. In the first half, you couldn’t have guarded him better than we guarded him.”
Dan Hurley Points to Progress and Familiar Problems in UConn’s Win
While Dybantsa’s eruption drove BYU’s push, Hurley also saw a shadow of the Michigan State exhibition game. In the game against the Spartans, the Huskies saw a total of 34 fouls, and the BYU game also turned into a similar whistle fest with foul trouble creeping in and disrupting UConn’s rhythm.
UConn had a total of 21 fouls. However, the good part was that when the Huskies needed answers, they found them everywhere. They shot 56.6% from the field and had 21 assists on 30 makes. They also managed to control the tempo and hit timely shots whenever BYU threatened to take the lead.
Silas Demary Jr. had a masterclass with 21 points, seven assists, and one turnover. Hurley couldn’t help but sing praises.
As Hurley puts it, “Yeah, I mean, that’s exactly what we need at that position. Plus, the guy’s a ball hawk, too. And he obviously showed that he’s clutch. He’s able to get to the free-throw line, he’s able to put pressure on the rim. That’s something we didn’t have last year, a guy who can get to the rim, get in the paint, finish, get to the free-throw line.”
UConn last year lacked that PG they could turn to in a time of need. I think they have that with the addition of Silas Demary Jr. He was INCREDIBLE tonight
— Jacob Rhymer (@Rhymetime05) November 16, 2025
21 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 6-12 FG
He made some BIG-TIME plays down the stretch pic.twitter.com/dscP4L3HSz https://t.co/wWDDSZTwKN
Meanwhile, Alex Karaban added 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting, and Tarris Reed Jr. also had 21 points and eight rebounds. The Huskies’ ball movement overwhelmed BYU early with 13 assists to 3 in the first half. And their efficiency carried them when energy dipped.
And in a matchup of top-10 teams, one UConn ultimately controlled, lost, and controlled again. Hurley left knowing two things: his team had passed its toughest early-season test, and Dybantsa was every bit the matchup nightmare he had anticipated.
-fd44250df32912986cc6690f0b8bfa32.png "Shivani Menon")
Shivani Menon is a sports journalist with a background in Mass Communication and a passion for storytelling. She has written for EssentiallySports, College Sports Network, and PFSN, covering Olympic sports like track and field, gymnastics, and alpine skiing, as well as college football, basketball, March Madness, and the NBL Draft. When she's not reporting, she's either on the road chasing sunsets or getting lost in the rhythms of electronic soundscapes.