Takeaways From BYU’s Key Big 12 Road Win At Baylor
Feb 10, 2026, 8:39 PM | Updated: Feb 11, 2026, 11:37 am
BYU basketball ended a four-game losing streak by defeating the Baylor Bears on Tuesday night, 99-94.
The Cougars were led by AJ Dybantsa, who scored 36 points, and Rob Wright III, who dropped a career-high 30 points.
got it done 💪 pic.twitter.com/Dtht7HQLN7
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) February 11, 2026
It’s the first time since 1984 that BYU basketball teammates scored more than 30 points each in a game. The last duo to do that was Devin Durant and Brett Applegate.
Here are some takeaways from BYU’s road victory to improve to 6-5 in Big 12 play.
Rob Wright III put together his best BYU performance, and he did it against his old team
Sophomore guard Rob Wright III scored a career-high 30 points.
When asked about his return to Waco last week, he downplayed the game, but his attacking of the rim made it clear there was extra motivation for this one.
Wright played all 40 minutes and only had two turnovers in the game.
He faced chants of “traitor” and boos in a hostile environment, but he stayed the course and got downhill to finish around the rim.
Wright knocked down 12 of his 21 attempts in the win.
AJ Dybantsa makes everything look effortless
While many NBA draft talking heads look for flaws in AJ Dybantsa, BYU’s star freshman continues to put up big numbers.
On Tuesday night, Dybantsa dropped 36 points in 40 minutes of action on 20 field goal attempts.
Most 35-point games by a freshman in Big 12 history
– Michael Beasley (K-State): 5
– Trae Young (Oklahoma): 5
– AJ Dybantsa (BYU): 4
– Kevin Durant (Texas): 4 pic.twitter.com/JkyZFuztOi— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 11, 2026
Then on top of that, he had seven assists to only one turnover. Compare that to last week in Stillwater, where Dybantsa had four turnovers in the opening minutes; it was a strong performance from Dybantsa.
His effortless ability, with long strides, to get to the rim was causing Baylor’s undersized frontcourt headaches all night.
Dybantsa is now tied with Kevin Durant, his favorite player, for most 35-point games by a freshman in Big 12 history, with four. He trails Michael Beasley (Kansas State) and Trae Young (Oklahoma), who have the record with five.
Dybantsa still has seven regular-season games to go to set that record.
Khadim Mboup provided a spark off the bench
Did BYU find a new rotation moving forward?
BYU played Khadim Mboup 27 minutes, and he had a team-high (+12) for plus/minus when he was on the floor.
Mboup gathered 10 rebounds, had a block, and a steal coming off the bench.
He stepped in while Keba Keita was dealing with foul trouble, but Kevin Young stuck with the redshirt freshman, giving him a season-high for minutes played in a game.
BYU is 5-1 this season in games where Mboup plays at least 20 minutes. The lone setback was against UConn in November.
BYU basketball dominated Baylor in the paint
BYU set a record in the Kevin Young era for most points scored in the paint in a game, with 64 points.
The Cougars hit 71% of their shots from inside the arc against Baylor.
By comparison, Baylor scored 40 points in the paint.
Needed a win
BYU basketball started slow once again, finding themselves down by 12. Baylor was shooting the lights out, led by Tounde Yessoufou’s career-high of 37 points.
There are still areas for improvement with this BYU team, but they just needed a win to regain confidence heading into the stretch run in Big 12 play.
There is less than a month until the Big 12 Tournament tips off in Kansas City. The postseason is around the corner, and there’s still time for BYU to climb the seed lines. But they needed this Quad 1 victory on the road to boost their optimism about making a run.
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.
