Takeaways From BYU’s 99-92 Loss To Oklahoma State
Feb 4, 2026, 11:09 PM | Updated: Feb 5, 2026, 1:20 pm
BYU basketball falls at Oklahoma State, 99-92.
It’s the third straight loss for Kevin Young’s squad, dropping BYU to 5-4 in Big 12 play.
Here are some takeaways from BYU’s setback in Stillwater, ending a 22-game winning streak against unranked opponents.
Where’s the defense from BYU basketball?
Going into this game, with how much both of these teams like to get up and down the floor, high-scoring outputs were to be expected. But 58 points in the second half? That’s terrible.
Some of the late-game fouls committed, the wide-open threes that were allowed, it wasn’t good at all defensively in the second half.
BYU has to find answers immediately on defense. This is a far different defensive output than BYU showed in non-conference play and the early portion of the league schedule.
A total of five Oklahoma State players scored in double figures, led by Anthony Roy, dropping a season-high 30 points in the Pokes upset. Roy was 5-of-10 from 3-point range.
Dominated in the paint
Oklahoma State scored 52 points in the paint against BYU on Wednesday night. The Pokes had a 16-point advantage in the painted area over BYU.
Oklahoma State shot 65% from inside the arc throughout the game, led by big man Parsa Fallah, who went 6-of-8.
BYU and Oklahoma State tied at 34 in total rebounds. What was surprising, however, was that BYU’s top two centers, Keba Keita and Abdullah “Bido” Ahmed, combined for only five rebounds. Not many opportunities to get boards with how the Cougars couldn’t get stops.
Poor start again
Both BYU and Oklahoma State had a sloppy start to the game. Considering each team finished the game in the 90s, it’s strange to think that at the first media timeout, it was only 4-2 in favor of Oklahoma State.
BYU did not execute at a high level with four turnovers at the media timeout. At the second media timeout of the game, BYU had eight turnovers.
The poor start has become part of this team’s identity lately. What’s concerning is that there isn’t a clear personnel fix to address these woes in the opening minutes of games.
One possibility is having Khadim Mboup enter the lineup for Kennard Davis, as Mboup could bring the energy this team seems to lack out of the gate. Mboup could go to the four, a position he’s always played in his career, while AJ Dybantsa goes to the three. Then Davis could potentially be a spark plug off the bench.
It’s an idea, but it in no way guarantees BYU’s struggles are suddenly fixed.
BYU has no depth that they can consistently rely on. The losses of Dawson Baker and Nate Pickens are proving to be a significant deal in the dog days of this season.
Wasting away great games from AJ Dybantsa
Nights where AJ Dybantsa goes off for 36 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the field should be automatic wins. Then, when you include Dybantsa’s point total with the rest of the Big Three, Richie Saunders (20), and Rob Wright III (15), that’s a total of 71 points.
Does BYU need 80 points a night from AJ, Saunders, and Wright to win suddenly?
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.
