AJ Dybantsa made an early case of why he could be the Player of the Year in men’s college basketball

On a Jimmy V. Classic night that was supposed to be defined by the UConn vs. Florida game that tipped off second, BYU freshman star AJ Dybantsa delivered a performance that stands out as perhaps the greatest individual effort in the 30-year history of the event.

Playing inside Madison Square Garden for what is certain to be the first of many times, Dybantsa exploded in the second half to lead the 9th-ranked Cougars back from 22 points down to stun Clemson, in what was the second-largest comeback in the history of BYU basketball.

The final dagger at the buzzer may have been delivered by Robert Wright, but seemingly every other major blow of the comeback came from Dybantsa.

At a time where gambling apps are already listing Duke freshman star Cameron Boozer as a 1/2 favorite to win the Wooden Award, Dybantsa — widely hailed as the No. 1 player in the vaunted 2025 recruiting class throughout his high school career — delivered an “umm….guys?” performance Tuesday night that almost needed to be seen live to be believed.

Clemson was the aggressor in the first half, controlling the glass, forcing their pace, beating Cougar players to seemingly every spot on the floor, and ultimately using a 21-0 run to carry a 43-22 advantage into the locker room with them at halftime.

Then, Dybantsa flipped a switch that maybe only two or three other (or maybe none) players in college basketball have the ability to switch.

After scoring just six points in the opening half, Dybantsa scored or assisted on 34 of BYU’s 45 second half points. He had seven of his nine rebounds and five of his six assists after the break, and finished the second half with both more points and assists than the entire Clemson team.

When the game tight in the final minutes, Clemson head coach Brad Brownell made the heady decision to force anyone other than Dybantsa to score. The Tigers had multiple defenders with eyes on the 18-year-old star at all times, and he responded in a way that had to have the many NBA scouts in attendance foaming at the mouth.

In the last three minutes of the game, Dybantsa assisted on three Kobe Keita dunks and a crucial three-pointer from Kennard Davis Jr. He served as a decoy (whether intentional or not) on the game’s final play, allowing Wright to have the space necessary to play hero.

For college basketball fans who had heard about Dybantsa for years — the overused “best recruit since LeBron” label, the gaudy high school numbers, the head-turning decision to spurn the sport’s biggest names and sign with BYU — this was the moment he officially became a star in the sport. He performed well in the team’s loss to UConn and looked great in an opening night win over Villanova, but this was different. This was the type of performance that will have a general fan with little natural interest in BYU basketball tuning in to watch the Cougars play TCU on a dark, cold Wednesday night in the middle of January.

There were absurd one-handed passes, dazzling fadeaways and tough, physical finishes around the rim. But the Dybantsa play that stood out above all others on Tuesday night was a tomahawk dunk finish that sent the world’s most famous arena into hysteria.

That’s a pro doing pro things inside a pro arena.

Dybantsa’s first signature collegiate moment also provided BYU with its first real signature win of the season. While the Cougars have spent pretty much the entirety of the year ranked inside the top 10, a narrow loss to UConn and good, not great wins over Wisconsin, Dayton and Miami have held together a good, not great early season resume. That’s no longer the case.

For Cougar fans who spent the offseason referring to this winter as “the most anticipated season in the history of BYU basketball,” the payoff is now starting to hit. BYU’s top 10 ranking is justifiable, but the Cougars haven’t looked like a top-tier national title contender at any point through the season’s first month. Dybantsa’s second half heroics gave us a glimpse of how good they can be in March if they, and their 18-year-old star, continue to evolve over the three months ahead.

Will that evolution be extreme enough to cut down the nets in Indianapolis on the first Monday of April? Who knows. What’s certain after Tuesday is that Dybantsa and the Cougars are going to be appointment viewing throughout the coldest months of the year.