AJ Dybantsa Breaks Kevin Durant's Record as BYU Demolishes West Virginia 68-48 in Big 12 Tournament

AJ Dybantsa just rewrote the history books. Again. The BYU freshman torched West Virginia for 27 points Wednesday night at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, lifting the 10th-seeded Cougars to a 68-48 second-round victory in the Big 12 Tournament and setting the record for most points scored in a two-game tournament span — surpassing Kevin Durant in the process.

Dybantsa Passes Durant

Dybantsa passed Durant for the most points scored in a two-game span in Big 12 Tournament history — 64 total across Tuesday and Wednesday — after putting up 40 against Kansas State on Tuesday and following it with 27 against the Mountaineers. The freshman scoring record he set against Kansas State was Durant's. Now this one is too.

BYU coach Kevin Young said after Tuesday's performance: "I think he's the most skilled offensive player in college basketball, and it was on full display tonight." Wednesday was quieter by Dybantsa's own standards — but no less decisive.

How BYU Won It

BYU never trailed after Dybantsa's basket gave the Cougars a 13-11 lead. They pushed the margin to 11 on a Robert Wright III three-pointer and led 31-23 at halftime.

West Virginia pulled within three at 43-40 with 9:36 remaining on a Brenen Lorient three and a Jasper Floyd jumper — then went ice cold. A Chance Moore jumper cut it to 47-42 with eight minutes left before BYU's Wright, Dybantsa, and Kennard Davis Jr. combined for 10 straight points to push the lead to 15. West Virginia's season ended there in all but name.

BYU forced 22 West Virginia turnovers while holding the Mountaineers to just 48 points. Davis Jr. added 20 points on 5-of-6 shooting from deep.

West Virginia's Revenge Game That Wasn't

This was supposed to be West Virginia's moment. The Mountaineers had beaten BYU 79-71 on February 28 in Morgantown, with Honor Huff scoring 24 points in that upset win. The rematch, on a neutral floor, went in the opposite direction by 20.

West Virginia won the battle of tempos — the Cougars who had scored 105 points 24 hours earlier were held to 68 — but BYU won the game. Huff, the Mountaineers' leading scorer at 15.8 points per game, couldn't replicate February's damage with Dybantsa and the Cougars locked in defensively.

What's Next — Houston Looms Thursday

BYU now faces No. 2 seed Houston in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. It will be Dybantsa's third game in three days.

Houston is the defending Big 12 Tournament champion. Guard Emanuel Sharp was named tournament Most Outstanding Player a year ago before the Cougars reached the national championship game. Stopping BYU means stopping a freshman who has now broken two Kevin Durant records in 48 hours.

BYU enters the quarterfinals at 22-10 overall and ranked 25th nationally in KenPom, averaging 85 points per game. The Cougars are a 10-seed doing damage nobody predicted. Thursday finds out how far this run goes.