Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — BYU forward AJ Dybantsa is one of the best, if not the best, players in college basketball this season.
The projected No. 1 overall NBA draft pick is averaging 24.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 53 percent from the floor and 36.3 percent from beyond the arc.
In West Virginia’s 79–71 win over the Cougars on Saturday, however, the Mountaineers managed to contain the freshman phenom early, holding him to just four points on 1-of-4 shooting in the first half. Dybantsa finished with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting, along with seven rebounds and one assist.
WVU didn’t try to solve Dybantsa with a single defender or a single scheme. Instead, the Mountaineers relied on discipline, length and collective awareness, forcing one of the Big 12’s most dangerous scorers to navigate traffic, absorb contact and finish over contests without living at the free-throw line.
From the opening possessions, WVU emphasized physicality without fouling, a balance defenders said was critical against a player who thrives on creating advantages.
“He has great length,” Chance Moore said. “He’s very skilled and he knows his spots very well. So we were just trying to you know get physical without fouling you know and try to make it tough for him as possible and just don’t give him any easy ones.”
That approach required constant attention to detail, particularly when Dybansta attacked downhill.
“Yeah, it’s very difficult cuz he’s very fast and long,” Moore said. “So, I try to run while showing hands and then, I know he’s going to give me that bump. So, just try not to swipe down as best as possible and contest. late contest.”
The BYU star was limited to four shot attempts in the first half, but the Mountaineers anticipated a more aggressive approach after halftime and adjusted accordingly.
“I think at halftime, he had four shot attempts,” Brenen Lorient said. “So, we knew coming out at halftime, he was going to be definitely more aggressive. That’s why coach just emphasized being in gaps early and, you know, just playing straight head up, no fouls, show your hands.”
Despite the quiet start, WVU never assumed the threat had passed.
“We played some really good players,” Lorient said. “(Daryn) Peterson, he had a slow start, but you know those guys, it doesn’t take long for them to see a couple shots go in and they catch a rhythm. So, it was never anything like that. Just keep our assignment on and keep playing defense.”
WVU mixed its coverages throughout the game, showing doubles early and adjusting its timing as the contest unfolded.
“I would say early in the game we’re in monster, like big to big, double,” Lorient said. “And I think we we stayed in that for most of the time, right? Most of the time that worked for most of the time, but I think we just got better this week at knowing when to go and when not to go. I think that was the biggest key.”
Mountaineer head coach Ross Hodge thought the execution of the plan — particularly the ability to stay vertical — stood out on film.
“I thought his attention to detail and his commitment to not fouling him and he and he’s so difficult to defend,” Hodge said. “He’s so fluid. He puts you in tough spots. But I thought B-Lo did a great job of making them making him make tough ones and and uh not fouling them on jump shots.”
Dybansta credited WVU’s collective approach after the game.
“Yeah, he was solid,” he said. “He sent me into the double, which is probably their defensive scheme, and I seen a lot of bodies tonight, so credit to him.”
In a conference defined by slim margins, the Mountaineers’ ability to defend with discipline — rotating bodies, closing gaps and avoiding unnecessary fouls — proved decisive. Against elite talent, WVU didn’t chase blocks or steals. They stayed connected, stayed vertical and made every possession difficult.
Photo Credit: Dale Sparks- All Pro Photography- WVU Athletics
