Overview
- The No. 8 Cougars beat No. 25 North Carolina 78-76 at Salt Lake City’s Delta Center in a non-counting exhibition streamed on ESPN+.
- Freshman AJ Dybantsa led BYU with 18 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and three steals, following a 30-point outing at Nebraska in the prior exhibition.
- Center Keba Keita posted 16 points and 10 rebounds, went 4-for-4 at the line, grabbed eight offensive boards and blocked UNC’s final drive to seal the win.
- BYU offset 5-of-25 three-point shooting with a 44-38 edge in paint points, 18 offensive rebounds and 19 Tar Heel turnovers converted into 16 points.
- Both coaches framed the matchup as purposeful preparation, and BYU now turns to Villanova on Nov. 3 with starters logging heavier minutes and Dawson Baker, Nate Pickens and Brody Kozlowski still held out.