In his most recent media session, Texas HC Sean Miller was asked about BYU's star forward A.J. Dybantsa, and it's pretty safe to say that he has tons of respect for the NCAA's leading scorer.
When asked a question regarding Dybantsa and how he stacks up to some of the other top freshmen in college basketball, Miller said something pretty intriguing in terms of Dybantsa's overall talent:
"AJ, he’s that position-less player. I don’t really know what position you want to call him. He can do it all. I think his ability to get fouled is maybe unlike anything I’ve seen, simply because he shoots eight free throws a game. He can do it in and around the rim, driving, kind of in that odd spot, 15 to 17 feet from the basket. It’s a real gift for not only him, but BYU.
I can’t give you the words and accolades to describe him. He is a great, great player. A player that you and we don’t oftentimes see in college. You can go a long period of time and not see somebody like him."
AJ Dybantsa just WENT OFF in his Big 12 Tournament debut 🔥
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 11, 2026
Dybantsa finished with 40 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists in the win. pic.twitter.com/z1RzAFgvWh
This might be the most praise that we've ever seen Coach Miller give to an opposing player, and it's completely warranted. Dybantsa averaged 25.3 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 3.8 APG,1.1 SPG, and had an effective FG% of 55.4% in 2025/2026. Those are mind-blowing numbers, and something that we haven't seen in college basketball in years.
If the Longhorns are going to have any chance in tonight's matchup, they'll have to find a way to limit Dybantsa around the basket without fouling. I know that seems like an impossible task on paper with how Texas has been performing on defense this season, but Matas Vokietaitis and Co. have actually been playing cleaner D lately.
It's going to be interesting to see how the coaching staff decides to defend Dybantsa tonight from a size perspective as well. I'm assuming that Miller is going to live in "zone+1" all night long with Dailyn Swain man'd up on the BYU star. Nic Codie may be an option as well if they need a little more length draped over him.
Whatever the case, it's going to be tough for Texas to guard the 6'9" forward who has the athleticism and scoring ability of an NBA All-Star shooting guard.