Iowa State Vs Byu: Dybantsa Fuels No. 23 BYU’s 79-69 Home Upset of No. 6 Iowa State

No. 23 BYU beat No. 6 Iowa State 79-69 on Saturday night in Provo in a result that mattered for both morale and tournament resumes. The janaury matchup, framed by the NCAA tournament selection committee’s release of its top 16 seeds earlier that day, delivered BYU its first victory over a top-10 opponent this season and struck a notable blemish against a Cyclones squad tabbed as a No. 1 seed.

AJ Dybantsa’s 29-point near triple-double

AJ Dybantsa played all 40 minutes and finished one assist shy of a triple-double, with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. He helped power the Cougars’ attack in the paint and was central in stopping an Iowa State rally late in the second half: after Tamin Lipsey’s 3-pointer pulled the Cyclones within 57-54 with 7: 21 left, Dybantsa and Kennard Davis Jr. scored back-to-back baskets and BYU followed with a 13-3 run that put the game largely out of reach at 70-57 with 3: 33 remaining.

Kennard Davis Jr., Mihailo Boskovic and role contributions

Kennard Davis Jr. scored 17 points, making 3 of 8 from three, while Mihailo Boskovic produced 13 points in his second consecutive start, a career-high in that role. Rob Wright III was quiet overall, finishing with six points, though he also supplied the pair of layups that bookended a 13-0 BYU run and sent the Cougars into the break up 37-25. Reserve Khadim Mboup grabbed 10 rebounds, nine of them in the first half.

Iowa State Vs Byu: paint, rebounds and shooting margins

BYU won the battle at the rim, outscoring Iowa State 40-22 in the paint and attacking the basket relentlessly in the first half, when the Cougars led 22-6 in paint scoring over the opening 20 minutes. The two accounts of the rebounding margin differ in the box score fragments available: one record shows BYU with a 39-28 edge on the glass, another lists a 38-29 advantage; unclear in the provided context. BYU also missed many open threes, converting 7 of 25 (28%), while holding Iowa State to 33% from three. Turnover numbers were limited by BYU against the Cyclones’ pressure defense, contributing to BYU’s control of the game.

Iowa State rotation, personnel and season context

Tamin Lipsey led Iowa State with 19 points, Jamarion Batemon added 14, and Joshua Jefferson finished the night with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Iowa State entered the evening 23-4 overall and 10-4 in Big 12 play; BYU moved to 20-7 and 8-6 in conference play and will next host UCF on Tuesday night in Provo. Earlier that same day, the NCAA tournament selection committee released its top 16 seeds and identified Iowa State as a No. 1 seed — the fourth No. 1 seed named in the committee’s top-16 reveal.

Iowa State strengths, vulnerabilities and preseason projections

Pre-game analysis had underscored Iowa State’s shooting and rebounding as strengths: in Big 12 play the Cyclones ranked second in conference three-point percentage and fourth in two-point percentage, and they grabbed an estimated 36% of offensive rebound opportunities. Milan Momcilovic entered the night as the team’s leading scorer at 18 points per game and as one of the nation’s most prolific long-range threats — more than seven three-point attempts per game at roughly a 51% clip — but was limited in this game, making just 1 of 4 from three. Joshua Jefferson has been profiled as a do-everything 6-foot-9 forward averaging about 16. 5 points, 7. 5 rebounds and 5. 2 assists while shooting around 38% from three; with the team navigating Toppin’s injury, Jefferson and Dybantsa had been mentioned as defensive player of the year candidates.

Analytical forecasts ahead of the game showed a toss-up: a KenPom projection had given Iowa State a 79-78 edge and a 45% probability for BYU. What makes this notable is that BYU delivered the signature win it sought after a seven-point loss to No. 4 Arizona, a game in which the Cougars were without Richie Saunders.

Coaches’ assessments and the larger implication

BYU coach Kevin Young praised Dybantsa’s consistency and two-way impact, calling it perhaps the freshman’s most complete outing of the season, while Iowa State coach T. J. Otzelberger acknowledged the matchup difficulties Dybantsa presents with his size, ball skills and playmaking. The broader implication is that BYU’s resume and confidence get a measurable lift from beating a top-10, top-seeded opponent on its home court, and Iowa State’s standing among the country’s elite will face fresh scrutiny as selection and seeding discussions continue.

Additional season context: BYU’s best wins list entering the weekend included 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). The Cougars’ losses had been to Kansas (A), Cincinnati (A) and TCU (A). Iowa State’s road résumé in conference play showed a 3-3 mark with losses at Kansas, Cincinnati and TCU; the Cyclones’ most recent home loss had been a 62-55 defeat to TCU that featured 17 turnovers, 5-for-22 three-point shooting and 2-for-8 at the foul line.

AJ Dybantsa’s performance — 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists — and BYU’s dominance in the paint were decisive factors in a game that reshaped late-season perceptions for both programs.