There’s just something about January 26 games at the Marriott Center.
Jan. 26, 2011 was arguably the most iconic night in the arena’s history, as Jimmer Fredette’s 43 points led BYU to upset No. 4-ranked, 20-0 San Diego State.
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On Monday, exactly 15 years to the day from Fredette’s legacy performance, another 20-0 squad, No. 1 Arizona, will come to play in Provo, setting the stage for another potential all-time electric atmosphere at the Marriott Center.
And luckily for the Cougars, they have another generational talent in AJ Dybantsa leading their attempt for an upset.
“That was one of the reasons why I picked BYU, just to be able to play in these different type of (Big 12) environments that I know get loud,” Dybantsa said.
“I know (Texas) Tech gets loud, at Arizona, at Kansas, and I know that (the Marriott Center) gets loud. I didn’t want to duck any smoke. I just wanted to play the best basketball, I think, in the best league.”
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No. 13 BYU, fresh off a rivalry win over Utah, has played plenty of strong competition throughout the season, as evidenced by the Cougars’ eight combined Quad 1/2 wins already.
But Arizona presents a whole different beast.
Statistically, the Wildcats have both the best offense and defense in the Big 12. They’ve defeated five ranked foes — including No. 3 UConn on the road and defending national champion Florida in the season opener — and have yet to be toppled.
Remember those eight Quad 1/2 wins for BYU? Arizona has eight Quad 1 wins alone, and facing the Wildcats will be the first of five consecutive upcoming Quad 1 opportunities for the Cougars.
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It’s the first time BYU has hosted the No. 1 team in the nation since Feb. 2, 2017, when Gonzaga came into town for a 85-75 victory. A month later, the Cougars went up to Spokane and stunned the 29-0 Bulldogs.
BYU and Arizona most recently met last February in Tucson, when a controversial foul call in the final seconds put Richie Saunders at the line to sink two free throws and give the Cougars a dramatic 96-95 win.
Additionally, no one has beaten BYU at the Marriott Center since Arizona’s last visit to Provo on Feb. 4, 2025. If the matchup itself wasn’t already intriguing, the recent history between these two teams makes Monday must-see TV.
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Clearly ESPN got the memo, as the network included the game as part of its first famed “Big Monday” block of the season — BYU’s first appearance on “Big Monday” since the school’s Mountain West Conference days.
It will be a clash of the freshman titans, as BYU boasts Dybantsa and Arizona has its own star first-year forward in Koa Peat, who’s averaging 14.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game thus far.
Dybantsa and Peat are far from strangers, having been Team USA teammates in the FIBA U16, U17 and U19 World Cups each of the past three summers.
“It’s going to be a tough game, but that’s what you live for. This is why I came to the Big 12, to play teams like this,” Dybantsa said after BYU’s win over Utah on Saturday.
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“Obviously, I know Koa. For the last three years I’ve been winning gold medals with him, but it’s gonna be a great environment. We’re looking to hand them their first loss. The Marriott Center is going to be behind us and we’ll be prepared for them.”
Dybantsa’s Arizona connections don’t end with Peat, as Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd coached the pair on the U19 team that won the gold medal in 2025.
“He leaves space in the room for the other players to be their best version of themselves, too,” Lloyd said of Dybantsa. “A lot of times you get a young talent like him, and he’s so talented he can kind of suck the air out of the room, because it all becomes about him and his talent.
“AJ is not like that. AJ not only can be the most talented player on the floor, he can also let their other talented players play really well. I’ve always been impressed with that.”
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Continued Lloyd, “They’re a great team. They got a really good coach. They have a really strong basketball culture at BYU. Obviously, they got a great environment, and they’re going to be excited to play.
“… We know we’re playing a really good basketball team, in a tough place to play, so we know it’s going to be an incredible challenge.”
In addition to Peat, Arizona has four other players averaging double figures in scoring, and two others average at least 8.9 points as well.
While BYU has relied on the “Brig 3″ of Dybantsa, Saunders and Rob Wright III to score 69.5% of its points, the Wildcats have enjoyed a much more balanced attack.
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“That’s going to be a major possession battle. I think we are the top two offensive rebounding teams in the Big 12, and so the possession game is going to be very critical,” BYU head coach Kevin Young said.
“I think that’s part of who we are, who we have been.”
Monday games are a rarity at BYU, and the quick turnaround from Saturday’s action creates a unique challenge, as the Cougars won’t have much physical preparation for Arizona since BYU does not practice on Sundays.
But the Cougars are embracing what some might see as an inconvenience, with Young believing the Saturday-to-Monday swing will prepare his team for what’s ahead.
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“I actually like when the regular season schedule gets funky because I think it prepares you well for the postseason,” Young said.
“You know, you never know how quick your turnarounds are going to be (in the conference and NCAA tournaments) and that kind of thing, especially when you have to do it and get ready to play a good team, which is what’ll happen in March, and so I think (Monday will) be a good thing we can reference even later in the year for that.”
How the Cougars fare on Monday could indeed help determine how far they play into March — and just like Jimmer’s heroics in 2011, a win would live on BYU lore for decades to come.
“They’re walking into a crazy environment,” Wright said of the Wildcats. “I know the fans are going to be behind us and the team will be ready to get a win.”
A highlight reel plays before BYU takes on the Abilene Christian Wildcats in an NCAA basketball game held at the Marriott Center in Provo on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News
