Iowa State Vs Byu: Dybantsa Fuels BYU's 79-69 Upset in Provo
AJ Dybantsa’s all-40-minute effort and BYU’s control of the glass powered a 79-69 home win over No. 6 Iowa State in Provo, a result that provided the signature victory BYU had desperately sought. The iowa state vs byu matchup carried added weight after the committee released its top 16 seeds earlier in the day and listed Iowa State as the fourth No. 1 seed.
Saturday night finish in Provo, seeded implications
The game, which had been scheduled to tip Saturday at 8: 30 p. m. MT, ended as a Saturday night 79-69 win for BYU in Provo. BYU entered needing a marquee result for morale and the resume; the committee released its top 16 seeds earlier in the day and Iowa State was the fourth No. 1 seed.
Iowa State Vs Byu — Dybantsa’s 40-minute near triple-double
AJ Dybantsa played all 40 minutes and came within one rebound and one assist of a triple-double, finishing with 29 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. Dybantsa’s defense chased Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic off screens all night, a pressure that coincided with Momcilovic going 1-for-4 from three; the context described Momcilovic as the best three-point shooter in the country.
Supporting cast: scoring, rebounding and role players
Rob Wright finished quietly with 6 points, while Kennard Davis was BYU’s second-leading scorer with 17 points and shot 3-for-8 from three. Mihailo Boskovic made his second consecutive start and posted a career-high 13 points. Off the bench, Khadim Mboup grabbed 10 rebounds, nine of them coming in the first half.
Shooting splits, turnovers and paint advantage
BYU missed a large number of open threes and finished 7-for-25 (28%) from beyond the arc, but the Cougars won the rebound battle 38-29 and limited turnovers against Iowa State’s pressure defense. BYU held Iowa State to 33% shooting from three and outscored the Cyclones in the paint, 40-22.
Pregame context, Iowa State profile and the lead-up
BYU had arrived in Provo after a seven-point loss to No. 4 Arizona, a game in which BYU fought without Richie Saunders and could not get enough support beyond AJ Dybantsa. Entering the matchup, BYU was an underdog looking for an elusive Quad 1A win versus the Cyclones, and a KenPom projection had pegged Iowa State 79, BYU 78 with BYU given a 45% win probability.
Iowa State strengths, personnel and vulnerabilities
The Cyclones were noted as a great shooting team and, in Big 12 play, ranked second in three-point shooting and fourth in two-point percentage; the team shoots 39% from three as a unit. Milan Momcilovic, a 6-foot-8 wing, led Iowa State in scoring at 18 points per game and was described as the best three-point shooter in the country, shooting more than seven threes per game at a 51% clip. Joshua Jefferson, a 6-foot-9 forward and All‑American candidate, was portrayed as a do-everything point forward who averages 16. 5 points, 7. 5 rebounds and 5. 2 assists while shooting 38% from three and serving as a primary playmaker for Iowa State’s offense.
Team metrics, recent form and weaknesses
In Big 12 play, Iowa State ranked fourth in KenPom offensive efficiency and third in defensive efficiency and was second in the conference in offensive rebound percentage, rebounding 36% of their misses. The preview noted Iowa State’s offense is susceptible in turnovers and free throws—ranking 12th in turnover percentage and last in free throw percentage at 64%. Defensively, the Cyclones were still third in the conference in turnover percentage and third in three-point defense, but they conceded the highest rate of three-point attempts in the league. Iowa State was substantially better at home than on the road: they were 3-3 in true road games in Big 12 play, with road losses at Kansas, Cincinnati and TCU, and they had lost their most recent home game 62-55 to TCU, a game in which Iowa State committed 17 turnovers and shot 5-for-22 from three and 2-for-8 from the foul line.
Season record, schedule and best wins
Following the Provo victory BYU moved to 20-7 on the season and will next host UCF on Tuesday night. Iowa State’s season résumé included a list of best wins—Purdue (A), St John’s (N), Iowa (H), West Virginia (H), Baylor (H/A), Oklahoma State (H/A), Colorado (H), Kansas State (A), Kansas (H) and Houston (H)—and losses at Kansas, Cincinnati and TCU. The preview also noted that, with Toppin’s injury, Joshua Jefferson and AJ Dybantsa were singled out as the two most likely candidates for defensive player of the year.
