BYU will open the AJ Dybantsa era in style.
College basketball insider Jon Rothstein reported Friday that BYU will open the 2025-2026 season versus Villanova in Las Vegas on the opening night of the 2025 season. The 2025 season is scheduled to tip off Monday, November 3.
NEWS: AJ Dybantsa — the top ranked player in the 2025 class — will make his college debut at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as BYU will play Villanova on opening night of the 2025-26 college basketball season, according to multiple sources.https://t.co/eNF8YFyUEA
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) December 20, 2024
Sources have told me that BYU and TV networks are looking to schedule BYU in high profile non-conference games, and Villanova is the first one to drop. The Wildcats won national titles in 2016 and 2018 and are currently 8-4 and #47 in KenPom to start this season.
BYU will be a major draw for television networks next season. College basketball and NBA fans will want to watch AJ, who is a potential generational prospect and the projected #1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. ESPN and CBS Sports own Big 12 basketball rights this year. Next year, FOX and Turner Sports will begin broadcasting Big 12 basketball games, meaning multiple networks will bid on BYU games.
I expect more high profile non-conference games for BYU to be scheduled. Kevin Young has said he wants a harder non-conference schedule than what BYU had this season.
