BYU’s AJ Dybantsa Named To Pair Of National Watchlists
Jan 15, 2026, 6:10 PM
PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball diaper-dandy AJ Dybantsa is getting plenty of press clipping as he leads the No. 11 Cougars to a 16-1 record and 13 straight wins.
Already a Lute Olsen National Player of the Week (December 15) and Big 12 Player of the Week (December 30), Dybantsa was recently added to two national award watchlists.
Members of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association named the true freshman to the Oscar Robertson Trophy and Wayman Tisdale Award midseason watchlists on Thursday, January 15.
WATCHLIST 👀 pic.twitter.com/saDpSQDq82
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 15, 2026
The Oscar Robertson Trophy is handed out annually at the men’s Final Four to the best player in college basketball and has been named after Robertson since the 1997-98 season. It is the longest-running Player of the Year award in college basketball, dating back to the 1958-59 season.
He is one of 25 players named to the award’s midseason watchlist.
RELATED: No. 11 BYU Holds Off Upset-Minded TCU To Extend Win Streak
ANOTHER ONE 👀 pic.twitter.com/k5aEU0uc6S
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 15, 2026
Since the 1998-99 season, the USBWA has named a men’s freshman national player of the year. The award has been named for Wayman Tisdale, the late Oklahoma All-American, since the 2010-11 season.
RELATED STORIES
AJ Dybantsa has lived up to top-prospect billing
Before ever playing a game for the Cougars, Dybantsa found his name in Cougar history after he joined Jimmer Fredette as the only BYU players to receive AP Preseason All-American recognition.
The Massachusetts native is third in the country, averaging 23.1 points while scoring in double-figures in every one of his college games.
RADIO HIGHLIGHTS | vs TCU pic.twitter.com/unkUtG3FC7
— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) January 15, 2026
Dybantsa has twice been named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, including after he recorded the second 30-point triple-double in conference history.
At 6’9 and with elite athleticism, Dybantsa adds 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in 31 minutes a night.
Follow BYU basketball coverage with KSL Sports
Next up, No. 15 Texas Tech welcomes the Cougars into Lubbock, Texas, for a top-15 matchup. BYU tips off against the Red Raiders at 6 p.m. MT on Saturday, January 17.
Find BYU’s entire 2025-26 men’s basketball schedule here.
Are you on Threads yet? Let’s connect; follow us at @kslsports.
Follow the BYU Cougars with KSL Sports here.
Take us with you wherever you go.
Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
