Kansas State Coach Jerome Tang Shared Thoughts On BYU’s AJ Dybantsa

BYU basketball knocked off Kansas State to open Big 12 play on Saturday, 83-73. The victory was BYU’s third win over K-State head coach Jerome Tang since the Cougars joined the Big 12 two years ago.

BYU was led by its star freshman AJ Dybantsa in the victory.

Dybantsa scored 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out three assists in 32 minutes of play, while navigating foul trouble.

When Dybantsa was going through the recruiting process, one of the many programs that recruited the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2025 recruiting cycle was Kansas State.

Dybantsa took an official visit to Manhattan during his recruitment, before ultimately signing with Kevin Young and BYU.

After Saturday’s game at Bramlage Coliseum, Tang was asked for his thoughts on facing Dybantsa.

K-State coach Jerome Tang shared his thoughts on AJ Dybantsa

“I’ve been watching AJ since he was in the seventh grade; I love him and his family. I had a great time recruiting him. I’ve watched his games this season, and he’s one of the most efficient players,” Tang said to reporters on Saturday.

“Today, he was very efficient again, scoring 24 points on 15 shots. I thought PJ (Haggerty) was really efficient, also. Two really good players out there, and they matched their stat lines.”

AJ Dybantsa is on a historic stretch

Dybantsa’s performance on Saturday afternoon in the Little Apple was his seventh straight 20-point performance. It’s the fourth-longest streak by a Big 12 player over the last 20 seasons, according to ESPN’s Research.

Dybantsa tied his favorite player and former Texas star Kevin Durant for that streak of 20 points by a freshman.

BYU improved to 13-1 overall and 1-0 in Big 12 play. Meanwhile, K-State dropped to 9-5 overall this season. The two teams are not scheduled to meet again during the regular 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.

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