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AJ Dybantsa may be the next big thing in the NBA, but last night, he was Clemson’s worst nightmare. The prospective number one pick had his true coming-out party in college basketball in helping deliver a clutch win for the number 10 team in the country. Not only did Dybantsa go off, but BYU enjoyed an incredible comeback to continue their hot start to the season.
AJ Dybantsa goes off in huge BYU comeback over Clemson
BYU’s success is, by and large, directly related to AJ Dybantsa this year. He was the prized possession of the recruiting class, and the Cougars got him over Kansas and North Carolina, two of the biggest college basketball programs in history.
So it’s no surprise that, while he wasn’t the player who sank an improbable game-winning shot, Dybantsa was the best player on the floor last night. And when the Cougars needed him most, he came alive and delivered a statement win.
The Cougars were tied with the Clemson Tigers 22-22 with about seven minutes left before the Tigers went on an impressive 21-0 run to finish the half. It looked like they were on their way to one of the biggest upsets in college basketball this season.
Instead, Dybantsa, Robert Wright, and the Cougars made some key halftime adjustments and flipped the script. Wright’s game-winning three with mere seconds to go marked the culmination of the largest comeback in school history. At most, they trailed by 22, but they erased that all in the second half.
Dybantsa is in the conversation for the top pick in the NBA draft, but that was largely based on his high school and pre-college metrics. He hadn’t really had a signature performance or a game to hang his hat on like Caleb Wilson or Cam Boozer, two other top freshmen in college basketball.
Finally, though, Dybantsa has his game. He recorded 28 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, going 9-for-17 from the field in a truly special outing. He did most of his damage in the second half while the Cougs were attempting to come back: 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and he scored or assisted on 34 of BYU’s 45 points after halftime. Dybantsa had more points and assists by himself than the entire Clemson team in the second half.
“They weren’t doubling,” Dybantsa said via ESPN. “I have trust in my one-on-one ability, and they decided not to double the second half. So I kind of just picked my spots smarter, not trying to fade as much.”
Coach Kevin Young added, “One thing about AJ that he does a good job of, he really is a very fast processor. So I thought in the second half he made the needed adjustments where he could get to his spots a little bit more and then the game kind of opened up from that standpoint.”
About Wright’s game-winning three, which got most of the headlines over Dybantsa’s breakthrough, the freshman said, “You got to trust in your teammates. It doesn’t matter if I had 50 that game, whoever’s open is going to get the ball, that’s the kind of trust we have in our team.”
Cam Boozer, AJ Dybantsa, and Darryn Peterson were all considered the best from this class, and any one of them could’ve made a case for the top overall pick. Through the first few weeks of the season, though, it was Boozer and Caleb Wilson, who forced his way into the conversation, that looked the most deserving of that top pick. Now, Dybantsa has to be back in consideration for those struggling in the NBA.
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