On Tuesday, the Big 12 men's basketball tournament was highlighted in part by the exploits of BYU Cougars freshman AJ Dybantsa. He scored a tournament record 40 points, the most for a freshman since Kevin Durant when he was at Texas.
As a result, he garnered considerable attention. On Wednesday, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was seen courtside watching BYU take on West Virginia at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, per Jeff Goodman of Field of 68.
Patrick Mahomes here at Big 12 tourney getting a close look at BYU star freshman AJ Dybantsa. pic.twitter.com/wdsjdcSx14
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 11, 2026
Ultimately, BYU came away victorious over West Virginia 68-48. In all, Dybansta finished the game with 27 points along with seven rebounds.
Overall, Dybansta is averaging 25.2 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 52% from the field. He is 19 years old from Boston, Massachusetts. Originally, he was listed as the No.1 player in the Class of 2025, before he decided to reclassify as Class of 2026.
Meanwhile, BYU has a 23-10 record and a 9-9 mark in the Big 12.
On Thursday, they will face Houston in the Big 12 Conference Championship. As of now, BYU is projected to be at least a 6 or 7 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Meanwhile, Mahomes is an alumnus of Texas Tech and was present to support them during the tournament. Mahomes played at Texas Tech from 2014 to 2016. In 2017, he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, he has become one of the most successful and marketable quarterbacks of the era.
Historically, BYU has a 17-35 record in the NCAA tournament. However, they have never won a national title or reached the Final Four. However, they have won three conference tournaments.
