College basketball rankings: BYU rises as AJ Dybantsa continues impressive Big 12 Tournament performance
The star freshman is making a strong case as the best player in the country as the Cougars have moved on to the quarterfinals
In the same week in which he watched somebody else win Big 12 Player of the Year honors, BYU star AJ Dybantsa reminded everybody Wednesday that he's the best player in the Big 12 -- and maybe also the entire country.
Final score: BYU 68, West Virginia 48.
So the Cougars are now off to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament, where they'll meet a different group of Cougars (Houston) in a game scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. ET at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. BYU is No. 25 in Thursday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. Houston is No. 5. Should be a fun game.
But the A-Block story here is Dybantsa, the 6-foot-9 wing who once again scored in a way that has some smart basketball people now insisting he's actually the freshman NBA franchises would be crazy to pass on (rather than Kansas star Darryn Peterson). Twenty-seven points. That's what Dybantsa got against West Virginia one day after putting 40 on Kansas State. He's now averaging 25.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 51.7% from the field. He's been incredible. And I absolutely loved the way he answered a question about Arizona's Jaden Bradley being named Big 12 Player of the Year.
Did you see it?
If not, it's worth your time:
The Big 12 Player of the Year has been debated for the past 24 hours.
— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) March 11, 2026
Caught up with AJ Dybantsa for his thoughts.
He told me he thought should've won it, but added:
- "It's not always about scoring."
- "You can't be the MVP if you're on a losing team. I should've got… pic.twitter.com/0JZfPpuZpt
If you're a fan of an NBA franchise with lottery odds, good luck.
Dybantsa seems special.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 76-61 win over North Carolina. The Blue Devils' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | -- | 35-3 |
| 2 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 27 points and three rebounds in Sunday's 90-80 win over Michigan State. The Wolverines' next game will be Friday in the quarterfina;s of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 35-3 |
| 3 |  | Koa Peat finished with 25 points and four assists in Saturday's 89-79 win at Colorado. The Wildcats' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 36-2 |
| 4 |  | Thomas Haugh finished with 20 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 84-77 win at Kentucky. The Gators' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 27-8 |
| 5 |  | Chase McCarty finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 82-75 win at Oklahoma State. The Cougars' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 30-7 |
| 6 |  | Sam Hoiberg finished with 15 points and five steals in Sunday's 84-75 win over Iowa. The Cornhuskers' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 28-7 |
| 7 |  | Jordan Scott missed six of the seven shots he attempted in Sunday's 90-80 loss at Michigan. The Spartans' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 27-8 |
| 8 |  | Alex Karaban missed all six shots he attempted in Saturday's 68-62 loss at Marquette. The Huskies' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. | -- | 33-5 |
| 9 |  | Milan Momcilovic finished with 21 points and two rebounds in Wednesday's 91-42 win over Arizona State. The Cyclones' next game will be Thursday against Texas Tech in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 29-8 |
| 10 |  | David Mirkovic finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Sunday's 78-72 win at Maryland. The Illini's next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 28-8 |
| 11 |  | Malik Thomas finished with 16 points and two steals in Saturday's 76-72 win over Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | -- | 30-6 |
| 12 |  | Aden Holloway finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 96-84 win over Auburn. The Crimson Tide's next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 25-10 |
| 13 |  | Mario Saint-Supery finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 75-65 win over Santa Clara. The Zags' next game will be in the NCAA Tournament. | -- | 31-4 |
| 14 |  | Braden Smith missed 10 of the 18 shots he attempted in Saturday's 97-93 loss to Wisconsin. The Boilermakers' next game will be Thursday in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 30-9 |
| 15 |  | Tre White finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 104-85 win over Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game will be Wednesday against UCF in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament. | -- | 24-11 |
| 16 |  | Meleek Thomas finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 88-84 win at Missouri. The Razorbacks' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 28-9 |
| 17 |  | Zuby Ejiofor finished with 21 points and two rebounds in Friday's 72-65 win at Seton Hall. The Red Storm's next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. | -- | 30-7 |
| 18 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 25 points and three assists in Saturday's 86-82 win at Tennessee. The Commodores' next game will be Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament. | -- | 27-9 |
| 19 |  | Eian Elmer finished with 32 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's 110-108 overtime win at Ohio. The RedHawks' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. | -- | 32-2 |
| 20 |  | Christian Anderson missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 73-65 loss to TCU. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at BYU. | -- | 23-11 |
| 21 |  | Jonathan Powell missed all four shots he attempted in Saturday's 76-61 loss at Duke. The Tar Heels' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | -- | 24-9 |
| 22 |  | John Blackwell finished with 25 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 97-93 win at Purdue. The Badgers' next game will be Thursday in the third round of the Big Ten Tournament. | -- | 24-11 |
| 23 |  | Ryan Conwell finished with 16 points and three rebounds in Wednesday's 62-58 win over SMU. The Cardinals' next game will be Thursday against Miami in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | -- | 24-11 |
| 24 |  | Tru Washington missed seven of the 11 shots he attempted in Saturday's 92-89 loss to Louisville. The Hurricanes' next game will be Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. | -- | 26-9 |
| 25 |  | AJ Dybantsa finished with 27 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 68-48 win over West Virginia. The Cougars' next game will be Thursday against Houston in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament. | 1 | 23-12 |
| 26 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie missed 17 of the 22 shots he attempted in Saturday's 86-82 loss to Vanderbilt. The Vols' next game will be Thursday in the second round of the SEC Tournament. | 1 | 25-12 |
