Takeaways From No. 10 BYU’s Win Over Pacific
Dec 16, 2025, 11:05 PM | Updated: Dec 17, 2025, 10:18 am
PROVO, UT - DECEMBER 16: AJ Dybantsa #3 of the Brigham Young Cougars steals the ball from Kajus Kublickas #9 of the Pacific Tigers during the second half of their game at the Marriott Center on December 16, 2025 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball cruised to a 36-point victory, 93-57, over Pacific at the Marriott Center on Tuesday night.
The Cougars improve to 10-1 overall.
Here are some takeaways from BYU’s win.
BYU continues to impress on the defensive end
Everyone knows BYU has a roster with significant offensive firepower. The big question resides on the defensive end.
Since the second half of the Clemson game, BYU’s defensive effort has been excellent.
On Tuesday against Pacific, BYU applied full-court pressure early, which created problems for the Tigers throughout the game.
BYU held Pacific to only 20 points in the first half.
Kevin Young said in the postgame that maybe his team “tripped onto something” with the press defense.
BYU’s “Big Three” are elite
For the first time since 2020, BYU had three players who scored 20 points or more in a game. Fitting that it came against a WCC, as the last time BYU had three players score more than 20 was when BYU was in the West Coast Conference.
The last time it happened was against Santa Clara, when TJ Haws scored 28, Yoeli Childs scored 22, and Jake Toolson scored 20.
Fast forward to Tuesday night, BYU’s “Big Three” of Richie Saunders scored 24, AJ Dybantsa dropped 23, and Robert Wright III added another 22.
It was the first time in 15 years that three BYU players scored at least 22.
Tyler Mrus had his best game as a BYU Cougar
Idaho transfer Tyler Mrus had some shots fall for him. The sharpshooter has struggled with his shot this season. However, that changed on Tuesday as Mrus hit 4-of-4 from three-point range.
BYU needs a second unit to get the heights they want to reach this season. Having Mrus, Khadim Mboup, Aleksej Kostic, and Dominique Diomande as consistent performers will be key to BYU becoming the Final Four contender it aspires to be this season.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.
Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
