AJ Dybantsa Scores 21 in CBB Debut as No. 8 BYU Survives Villanova's Upset Bid

AJ Dybantsa has officially arrived.

The much-hyped BYU freshman started his college basketball career with a 71-66 victory over Villanova in Monday's season opener in Las Vegas. The eighth-ranked Cougars had their backs against the wall when Bryce Lindsay's three-pointer gave the Wildcats a two-point lead with fewer than seven minutes remaining but closed on a 14-7 run.

All eyes were on Dybantsa considering he was a 5-star prospect and the No. 1 player in the class of 2025, per 247Sports' composite rankings, and he was a key part of that run with a handful of finishes by the rim.

AJ Dybantsa Drops 21 in Win

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He finished with 21 points, six rebounds and three assists on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and 1-of-1 shooting from deep.

It wasn't just him, as Robert Wright III (14 points) and Richie Saunders (15 points and seven rebounds) provided important secondary scoring.

As for Villanova, Lindsay did much of the heavy lifting on the offensive side with 22 points and five three-pointers off the bench. Nobody in the Wildcats' starting lineup scored in double figures, so they will surely think about what turned into a missed opportunity to pick up an important early season win.

These are the types of missed opportunities that prevented Villanova from making the NCAA tournament in each of the last three seasons, although it did impress with a comeback effort after falling behind by 10 at halftime.

It seemed like BYU was in full control with Dybantsa getting into the lane and proving to be a willing passer when the defense collapsed. However, Lindsay caught fire from deep during the second-half comeback and put the pressure on Dybantsa and Co. in crunch time.

And the freshman responded in a way that suggests big things to come the rest of the season.

He aggressively attacked the basket in a number of key moments and helped BYU hold off Villanova for the first of what may be many impressive victories this season.

Next up for the Cougars are matchups against Holy Cross and Delaware before showdowns with UConn, Wisconsin and Miami that will once again put Dybantsa under the national spotlight.

If Monday's performance was any indication, he will be up to task.