Utah and BYU battle for state supremacy on Saturday night, but there's a new x-factor in this intense rivalry — AJ Dybantsa.
The freshman from Massachusetts comes to Salt Lake City to wreak havoc on the Holy War. Dybantsa has eclipsed 20 points in each of his past eight games, including 30-point performances versus Abilene Christian and Eastern Washington. In two conference games against Kansas State and Arizona State, the star freshman has struggled with turnovers, but has stacked the box score with averages of 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists.
On the flip side, Utah is having a tough go-around. After a decent non-conference showing, which included a neutral site win over Ole Miss, the Utes have dropped to 0-2 in Big 12 play with losses to top-ranked Arizona and Colorado.
BYU enters this battle at 14-1 (2-0 Big 12), while Utah sits at 8-7 (0-2).
BYU vs. Utah: When and Where
Date: Saturday, January 10, 2026
Time: 10:00 pm ET
Location: Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
BYU vs. Utah: TV and Streaming Info
TV: ESPN
BYU vs. Utah Betting Odds
- Spread: BYU Cougars -13, Utah Utes +13
- Moneyline: BYU Cougars -971, Utah Utes +800
- Total: 148.5
BYU vs. Utah Series History
- All-Time Series: BYU leads 13-9
- Last Meeting: Utah won 73-69 on December 9, 2023
Projected Starting Lineups
BYU Cougars
- #3 AJ Dybantsa 23.1 PPG
- #15 Richie Saunders 19.1 PPG
- #1 Robert Wright III 17.0 PPG
- #30 Kennard Davis Jr. 7.8 PPG
- #13 Keba Keita 7.2 PPG
Key note: Keita is a player to watch as he was held out of BYU's last contest after tweaking his ankle in practice
Utah Utes
- #2 Terrence Brown 21.4 PPG
- #3 Don McHenry 18.5 PPG
- #8 Keanu Dawes 12.7 PPG
- #0 Seydou Traore 9.0 PPG
- #32 James Okonkwo 2.7 PPG
Key note: Brown, who has scored 20+ points in five of his last six games, will have to go toe-to-toe with Dybantsa
Game Outlook
I'll be honest, the outlook doesn't look good for the Utes, even at home.
Utah ranks 129th in KenPom as opposed to BYU's number ten ranking. The two teams are polar opposites and are trending in opposite directions. If Utah had kept its home tilt against Arizona from a week ago close, there would be a higher vote of confidence.
The fact of the matter is BYU is rolling. It hasn't lost since November 15 to UConn and has wins over several tournament caliber teams. The Cougars have proven this season that they are capable of putting away inferior teams with no hesitation and that's what should happen on Saturday.
In a perfect world, Brown and McHenry keep up with BYU's offense to make this a tight game down the stretch. But the optics of BYU suddenly suffering on the defensive side where they have grown substantially from last year is a pipe dream.