BYU’s AJ Dybantsa passed Kevin Durant for Big 12 Tournament record
Mar 10, 2026, 9:57 PM | Updated: Mar 11, 2026, 12:02 pm
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa continues to have a historic freshman season.
On Tuesday night, in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, Dybantsa set a new record, passing his favorite player in the process.
AJ Dybantsa drops 40 points for a Big 12 Tournament record
AJ Dybantsa scored 40 points in BYU’s 105-91 win over Kansas State. The 40 points scored by Dybantsa were the most by a freshman in a Big 12 Tournament game since Kevin Durant scored 37 against Kansas in 2007.
BYU star AJ Dybantsa has set the Big 12 Tournament single-game scoring record for a freshman.
He passes Kevin Durant, who scored 37 points against Kansas in 2007. pic.twitter.com/JbXH8g8aBO
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) March 11, 2026
Dybantsa set the record late in the fourth quarter. Then he reached the 40-point mark, for the second time in his BYU career, when he knocked down a pair of free throws.
After securing the 40-piece, BYU basketball coach Kevin Young let Dybantsa rest for the remainder of the night.
Dybantsa was efficient on his way to 40 points. The Brockton, Massachusetts native was 15-of-21 from the field, 2-of-6 from 3-point range, and 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Dybantsa’s 15 field goals passed Buddy Hield of Oklahoma, who hit 14 field goals in a Big 12 Tournament game.
Dybantsa does it all for BYU
Along with his 40 points, he also got his teammates involved with six assists in the win.
AJ Dybantsa has consistently said that Kevin Durant is his favorite player. Before the season, Durant gave Dybantsa pointers on navigating the Big 12 Conference, as he did when he was in his one season with the Texas Longhorns.
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Dybantsa’s 40-point effort also marks the sixth time this season that he scored at least 35-points in a game during his freshman season.
That sets a Big 12 Conference record, passing K-State’s Michael Beasley and Oklahoma’s Trae Young, who each had five in their freshman campaigns.
Record-setting night for BYU basketball
BYU’s 105 points also set the record for most points scored by a team in a single game. The Cougars passed Kansas, which scored 102 points against Colorado in 2002.
AJ Dybantsa and BYU Basketball will be back in action on Wednesday night when they face No. 7-seed West Virginia at 5 p.m. (MDT) on ESPN2 and KSL NewsRadio.
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 BYUathletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.
