AJ Dybantsa points tonight: How many points did BYU star score in upset loss to Texas?

BYU freshman star AJ Dybantsa showed why he's one of the top college basketball players in the country and a surefire lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Dybantsa scored 35 points in a 79-71 upset loss to No. 11 seed Texas in the first round of the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. His BYU squad was a No. 6 seed going into the game.

Texas was led by sophomore Matas Vokietaitis, who scored 23 points and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds and added a block. Three other players scored in double figures for the Longhorns: Tramon Mark with 19 points, Dailyn Swain with 14 and Jordan Pope with 11.

Dybantsa led all of college basketball players in scoring with 25.3 points per game during the 2025-26 season.

Here's how he did in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament:

AJ Dybantsa: Second half performance

BYU opened the second half on a 7-1 run, thanks to their ball-hawking perimeter defense on guys sliding over in help. The lead was cut to four, 48-44, with 17:31 left in the game. 

Texas responded and built their lead up to 12, leading 63-51 with 12:15 remaining. Dybantsa was held scoreless in the second half until a baseline reverse, two-hand slam in transition with about 13 minutes left in the game. He scored 15 second half points.

Texas built their lead to as many as 17 points before BYU came storming back with stifling defense. They once held the Longhorns without a basket in a 3:15 span of game time, as the Cougars trailed 70-64 with 3:56 left in the game.

Jordan Pope hit a dagger corner three, his first of the game, to extend the Longhorn lead to seven with 1:21 left in the game. No. 11-seed Texas is on the verge of an upset, holding on to a 75-68 lead.

But it was BYU's Aleksej Kostić who responded with an immediate three-pointer out of a timeout to cut the lead to four with a minute and change left. However, it wasn't enough as late mistakes by BYU sealed the deal, completing the Texas upset.

AJ Dybantsa first half vs. No. 11 Texas

Dybantsa has paced the No. 6-seed Cougars, scoring most of their points through the first half of their Round of 64 matchup in the NCAA Tournament against No. 11 Texas.

The 19-year-old hoops sensation has scored 20 of BYU's 37 points in the first 20 minutes of play.

However, it's the collective play of the Texas Longhorns that has them holding on to a 46-37 lead going into the break behind a Tramon Mark buzzer-beater three-point to extend their lead to nine. Texas sophomore Matas Vokietaitis already has a double-double at half with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

How many points did AJ Dybantsa score?

Dybantsa torched the Texas Longhorns for 35 points in 39 minutes. Here is what his stats looked like on the box score.

• Points: 35
• Field Goals: 11-of-25
• 3-Point: 1-for-7
• Free Throws: 12-for-12
• Rebounds: 10
• Assists: 1
• Steals: 0
• Blocks: 0