UCF's defense faces its toughest test: halting the nation's leading scorer, AJ Dybantsa, a potential No. 1 NBA pick dominating opponents.
As UCF travels to Provo, UT, to take on No. 19 Brigham Young University (BYU) Tuesday, head coach Johnny Dawkins likely has one guy circled in big, red ink - freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa.
Dybantsa finished as the No. 2 player in the 2025 high school class, trailing fellow potential No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson. But, its safe to say, Dybantsa has even exceeded those lofty expectations.
Currently, Dybantsa is the top-scorer in the country, averaging a staggering 24.9 points per game on efficient 53.3% shooting from the field.
In Dybantsa's last six outings, he's averaging over 30 per game, doing so against the likes of No. 2 Arizona, No. 4 Iowa State and No. 8 Houston.
In the Cougars' last time out, Dybantsa played all 40 minutes, filling up the box score with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine dimes and leading BYU to a huge win over the Cyclones. Following the game, Dybantsa told reporters that he is willing to do whatever it takes to win, even if that means forgoing any substitutions
"If they need me to play 40 minutes, I’ll play 40 minutes," Dybantsa said.
The 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 34 minutes per game this season, jumping that number to 39.4 over his last five contests. Dybantsa is also heavily involved when on the floor, boasting a 32.6% usage rate. According to Wolfram, usage rate "estimates the percentage of a team's possessions a player uses while on the floor."
According to Owen Chapman, this places him within the top 99th percentile of all college basketball players and places him higher than some of the best players in the NBA, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (32.2%) and Anthony Edwards (32%).
When it comes to stopping Dybantsa, it is hard to pinpoint a specific weakness. Despite shooting less than four 3-pointers per game, he has remained efficient, knocking down 36.3% of his attempts.
The Knights will need to be keyed-in on limiting Dybantsa in transition and look to make his touches uncomfortable. Junior forward Jordan Burks will likely draw the assignment, but will need his front court members like John Bol and Jamichael Stillwell to be in heavy help-side defense, as Dybantsa is an impressive driver.
UCF will face off against Dybantsa and BYU in a late-night showdown, tipping off at 11:00 p.m. Tuesday night.
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