No. 10 BYU vs. Kansas State in Big 12 Opener

MANHATTAN, Kansas - The No. 10 BYU Cougars will face the Kansas State Wildcats in the opening game of Big 12 conference play on Saturday, January 3, 2026, at Bramlage Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. ET, with the matchup airing nationally on CBS. The game pits two of the nation's top scorers against each other: BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa, averaging 23.1 points per game, and Kansas State's P.J. Haggerty, who scores 22.9 points per contest.

BYU enters with a 12-1 record after a dominant nonconference slate that included victories over Villanova, Wisconsin, Miami, Dayton and Clemson, along with five wins in the top two quadrants of the NCAA's efficiency metrics. The Cougars' lone loss came by two points to No. 3 UConn in Boston. They have not played a true road game this season, with their last competitive outing on December 22 resulting in a 109-81 win over Eastern Washington at home. That 12-day layoff has raised concerns about rust for coach Kevin Young, who noted the team scrimmaged more than usual in recent practices to rebuild continuity. "Some of the continuity that was being built up, you put a pause on that, and that's going to take a little bit of time to sort of...