The Wildcats face a revamped Cougars roster in Salt Lake City, marking the first time since 1989.
The schedule has yet to be finalized, but one Big 12 opponent is already locked in for Northwestern.
Per Jon Rothstein’s report last Friday, BYU and Northwestern are finalizing an agreement to meet next season at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. No official announcement timeline has been set yet, as the Wildcats continue working through the rest of their non-conference schedule for the 2026–27 season.
This matchup in a neutral arena will mark the first time since 1989. Both teams have faced each other only three times in program history, according to the all-time series record from BYU's Athletics website.
The Cougars finished 21-12 last season but fell short in the NCAA Tournament, losing 79-71 to then-No. 11 Texas in the first round. After losing AJ Dybantsa to the NBA along with seven players through the transfer portal, head coach Kevin Young managed to stabilize the roster by convincing Rob Wright III to stay while also adding targeted high-major size. BYU currently ranks 44th in 247Sports’ 2026 transfer rankings.
To rebuild the roster, BYU added several key transfers, including Jake Wahlin from Clemson, a Provo, Utah native returning home to provide experienced frontcourt depth, along with Tyler Betsley from Syracuse and Collin Chandler from Kentucky. The Cougars also brought in three freshmen recruits, including five-star prospect Bruce Branch III and four-star recruit Dean Rueckert.
Feb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; BYU Cougars head coach Kevin Young answers questions from the media after being defeated by the West Virginia Mountaineers at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn ImagesNorthwestern also enters next season with major roster turnover following the departure of Nick Martinelli, who recently participated in the NBA Draft Combine. With only three returning players, head coach Chris Collins aggressively attacked the transfer portal in an effort to immediately address the 'Cats’ rebounding and perimeter shooting issues. Northwestern’s seven-man transfer class currently ranks 72nd in 247Sports’ transfer rankings.
Among the key additions is Aleksej Kostić, a 6-foot-4 Austrian guard transferring directly from BYU who brings three years of eligibility and familiarity with his former team after averaging 4.4 points while shooting 36.7 percent from three last season.
Northwestern also added Bellarmine forward Jack Karasinski, who led the ASUN conference in scoring at 21.7 points per game while shooting 41.5 percent from beyond the arc, along with Colin Smith (UC Santa Barbara), a 6-foot-8 sharpshooter who knocked down 40.5 percent of his threes.
The new-look 'Cats also feature former Mount St. Mary’s center Luke McEldon, who averaged 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game last season, LA Pratt from Northeastern, who arrives after posting 17.0 points per game before a foot injury cut short his season, Ryan Soulis from Columbia and Okku Federiko from Drake.
For the rookie recruit, Northwestern welcomes four-star freshmen Jayden Hodge and Symon Ghai, along with walk-on Elijah Eschmeyer, the son of former Wildcats standout Evan Eschmeyer.
Northwestern also finalized its Big Ten schedule last week, which will play every conference opponent at least once while facing Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota in home-and-home series. The 'Cats are set to host Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin, while traveling to Maryland, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue and Washington.