BYU forward AJ Dybantsa (3) is defended by Miami guard Dante Allen, left, during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

MORGANTOWN — It is not the ideal situation for the WVU men’s basketball team. It’s certainly not the way WVU head coach Ross Hodge would want to picture it.

Yet here it is. Coming off the heels of one of the Mountaineers worst defensive performances of the season, WVU (16-12, 7-8 Big 12) now has to figure out a way to slow down quite possibly the best college basketball player on the planet. That challenge comes to pass at 5:30 p.m. today inside Hope Coliseum.

He is BYU freshman A.J. Dybantsa, a scoring machine who averages 25.1 points per game and shoots 53% from the field, as well as being a matchup nightmare wrapped inside a 6-foot-9 frame.

Stick a smaller guy on him, Dybantsa can play power basketball. Play a bigger guy on him, Dybantsa can use his point guard-type skills to get around him.

“He’s definitely worthy of all the praise and attention he’s gotten,” Hodge said. “He’s a problem in every facet of the game.”

It’s not exactly a question of who guards Dybantsa, because that’s a rather simple answer: No one. He’s scored in double figures in all 28 games this season for BYU and has been held under 15 points just once.

The better question is how WVU defends the Cougars (20-8, 8-7) overall, which is where Hodge’s concern lies. That’s because the Mountaineers had one of their poorest defensive showings in Tuesday’s 91-84 loss against Oklahoma State, in which the Cowboys put up 46 points in the first half and shot 49% for the game.

“That first half, that was the most points we’ve given up in a half,” WVU guard Treysen Eaglestaff said. “It was all of us collectively making simple mistakes. We fouled jumpshooters when we didn’t have to. I do that a lot.”

Play that same way against BYU, which averages just under 85 points per game as a team, and the Cougars can turn the game into a track meet rather quickly.

“They definitely want to get it and go,” Eaglestaff continued. “The emphasis on us is we have to make sure we get stops. It’s very similar to Oklahoma State. If they’re open, they’re going to shoot it. They’re not going to run a set (in that situation).”

Coming up with a defensive strategy to defend BYU brings up the ultimate question for Hodge: Can he be content with Dybantsa having a big game if it means WVU defenders can keep everyone else in check?

“That’s the question. That’s the challenge when you play a player like him,” Hodge said. “I wouldn’t say allow or let him, because that’s probably a bad term, but do you play him individually and live with him getting 35 or 40? Or do you try to shrink gaps and live with are these other guys going to make shots?”

That brings BYU sophomore guard Robert Wright III into play. If the decision is to go after Dybantsa, Wright – a transfer from Baylor – can step up and go for 39 points, which is what he did against Colorado. He also put up 30 against Baylor and 28 against Texas Tech.

If the decision is to see what Dybantsa can actually do, well, he put up 35 against Arizona and 29 against Iowa State – two of the top defensive teams in the Big 12. He’s also gone for 28 against Houston, 35 against Oklahoma State and dropped 43 on Utah.

“What impresses you as much as his talent is his commitment to his teammates and his leadership he shows as a young guy,” Hodge said. “He can distort you in ways most people can’t, because of his size and versatility.

“He can create mismatches from the jump, just because of his size.”