No. 8 BYU Holds Off Upset Bid From Villanova For Season-Opening Win

LAS VEGAS – BYU basketball opens the 2025-26 season with a 71-66 win over the Villanova Wildcats.

The season-opener at T-Mobile Arena was a pro-BYU crowd, as Villanova coach Kevin Willard said, it was a road game for the Wildcats from the Big East.

Final: BYU 71, Villanova 66

Cougs open the season 1-0 pic.twitter.com/IQ4VTptr0P

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) November 4, 2025

Here’s a recap of the key moments from BYU’s win to start the season at 1-0.

First Half

15:57 – The first points of the season were from Keba Keita on a slam dunk. Moments later, AJ Dybantsa scored his first points as a BYU Cougar on a reverse layup.

BYU newcomer guard Rob Wright showed big-time moves around the basket in the opening minutes. Xavion Staton, the Las Vegas native, was the first player off the bench. BYU 8, Villanova 8.

12:05 – AJ Dybantsa had an impressive sequence of plays. First, he knocked down a tough bucket in the paint, created separation, and had a strong finish.

Then, on the defensive end, he showed off his length to disrupt a shot attempt. He followed that on the offensive end, to draw a double team to find an open Mihailo Boskovic. Boskovic missed the shot, and Dybantsa was there for the offensive rebound and putback.

Villanova was ice cold, and BYU started to create some separation. BYU 16, Villanova 8.

7:38 – BYU didn’t attempt a three until after the under-12 media timeout when Boskovic attempted a trey.

Villanova’s Bryce Lindsay ended a Wildcat five-minute drought with a three of his own.

BYU was able to build its lead of eight points to 11 with Dybantsa taking a break. BYU 26, Villanova 15.

2:27 – Richie Saunders knocked down his first three-pointer of the game to give BYU a 12-point lead. At that moment, it looked like BYU could pull away.

Then the Cougars went cold, going 2-of-10 from the field, and Villanova popped off a quick 6-0 run. BYU 33, Villanova 27.

HALFTIME: BYU’s starting five of Wright, Dybantsa, Saunders, Keita, and Davis combined for 35 of BYU’s 42 first-half points.

To close out the half, Keba Keita had an impressive sequence that had the large gathering of Cougar fans on their feet. Keita had a putback slam dunk on the offensive end, then on the defensive end, the senior center blocked Villanova’s Christian Jeffrey’s shot attempt into the stands.

 

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Second Half

16:11 – BYU had a 14-point lea,d and Cougar fans sensed the opportunity to pull away with chants of “B-Y-U, B-Y-U” in the T-Mobile Arena. However, Villanova wasn’t going down easy. The Wildcats reeled off a quick 6-0 run in 1:10 of game action, which included a Duke Brennan slam dunk.

After Brennan’s dunk, he and Keita are close together. Keita extends his arms out, and a double personal foul is called. BYU 46, Villanova 38.

11:34 – Villanova cut BYU’s lead down to three, led by Bryce Lindsay and Tyler Perkins. BYU was one of seven from the field, with a lot of one-on-one action.

The lone bucket in that stretch was a highlight-worthy play from Dybantsa, who knocked down his first career three at BYU, over Villanova’s Gapare. After the make, Dybantsa was jawing a little bit with Gapare, going back on the defensive end of the floor.

BYU fans were making their presence felt with chants of “Defense!” BYU 51, Villanova 48.

7:49 – Villanova’s Bryce Lindsay reached 13 points in the second half to help give Nova its first lead of the game. Villanova 56, BYU 55

5:09 – The T-Mobile Arena sounded like the southern version of the Marriott Center in stretches of this game. With the game tied at 59, BYU fans made it feel like a road environment for Villanova.

AJ Dybantsa played off that energy with a strong take to the hoop and an excellent finish. The bucket had BYU AD Brian Santiago asking for an and-one from the officials at the opposite end of the floor from his courtside seat.

Dybantsa was hyped after the bucket. BYU 61, Villanova 59

2:20 – Rob Wright displayed excellent patience with a bucket in isolation, draws the defender near him for contact and hits it to give BYU a six-point lead. BYU 65, Villanova 59.

1:01 – Keba Keita had a nice tip off a missed Villanova shot to give Rob Wright the chance to rebound and gather possession. On the offensive end, Dybantsa went on the attack with a nice spin move and finish. BYU 67, Villanova 61.

FINAL: BYU didn’t let Villanova get back into the game. The Cougars showed a toughness to secure a season-opening win over Villanova.

AJ Dybantsa finished with 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists in the win.

FINAL SCORE: BYU 71, Villanova 66

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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