UM will try to contain freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa and No. 9 BYU on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving dinner was moved up one night for the University of Miami men’s basketball team, which will be preoccupied on Thursday with a high-profile, and highly challenging, game against No. 9 BYU in the ESPN Events International in Kissimmee.
The Hurricanes, under first-year coach Jai Lucas, are 5-1, averaging 92.2 points per game and beating opponents by an average of 28 points. But those wins were against opponents with an average KenPom national ranking of 275. BYU, by contrast, is rated No. 11.
Miami will have its hands full with BYU freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa, a 6-9 forward from the Boston area projected to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Dybantsa, whose mother is Jamaican and father is from Congo, is averaging 19.8 points per game and put up 25 in a two-point loss to third-ranked UConn a few weeks ago.
Lucas is quite familiar with Dybantsa, as he recruited him for Duke before taking the UM job last spring. He says the freshman’s poise on the court is what separates him from other talented players.
“The thing we’re seeing with this freshman class is, they have really good poise, and he plays with that poise,” Lucas said. “That makes him special, along with his skill set.”
Another BYU player to watch in Thursday’s game (5 p.m., ESPN) is guard Richie Saunders.
“AJ Dybantsa, or course, is their most talented player and will be a top-three pick and all that stuff, and rightfully so, but I feel their best player is Richie Saunders because his impact on the game is so loud,” Lucas said.
“From offensive rebounds to making winning plays to making six threes, free throws, he is as good a college basketball player as there is right now, and it gets lost a little bit because everyone talks about AJ and Rob Wright. Those guys are good, but Richie Saunders’ impact on winning is a big part of their team.”
The only big test Miami has had this season was against the defending national champion Florida Gators, who are ranked No. 10 by AP, No. 7 by KenPom, and beat the Hurricanes 82-68 in Jacksonville earlier this month.
Despite the loss, the Hurricanes felt they belonged on the court with the Gators as they cut the deficit to three points in the second half. That gives them confidence heading into the game against BYU.
“In our locker room, after that game, we thought that we played nowhere near the best game we could play, and I wouldn’t say we got blown out of the water,” said UM freshman Dante Allen. “There were things we need to clean up, but it definitely showed us that we cannot play our best basketball, and we can compete with anybody in the country.”
The Hurricanes are a big, physical team that relies on points in the paint, defense and getting to the free-throw line. Lucas said if they can stay true to those principles, they have a chance against BYU, which is strong on the perimeter.
BYU is coached by Kevin Young, who spent eight years coaching in the NBA before taking the Cougars job in 2024. Lucas said that NBA background helps BYU exploit matchups.
“They’re going to try to find people and actions to pick on and they’ll run them over and over until you adjust,” Lucas said. “So, we have to make sure we are true to our principles, true to who we are and how this team was built. We’re built to be physical. We’re build to be big, and we just have to enforce our will.”
Miami native and Indiana transfer Malik Reneau leads the Hurricanes with 21.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Michigan transfer Tre Donaldson averages 16.8 points and 5.8 assists and New Mexico transfer Tru Washington averages 14.8 points.
Reneau is looking forward to going up against Dybantsa.
“I haven’t played against AJ yet, but he’s a top-10 pick, they say, he can get to whatever spot he needs to to get his shot off, that’s a special ability he has,” Reneau said. “And he’s super confident in his game… We want to go out there and show them that we also have confidence in Miami basketball.”
Lucas is urging his team to control the paint, rebound, get fouled, cause deflections, play downhill, take care of the ball and make good shot selections.
“If we try to get in a competition with them and go against who we are, it’s not going to go good for us,” Lucas said. “But if we stick to what we’ve been building since June, we’ll be fine because we’re built for this type of game. We’re bigger inside and on the perimeter, not heightwise, but with our physicality. I like the matchup.”
With an entire new roster and coaching staff, Lucas is doing all he can to get his players to bond and feel comfortable around each other. A Thanksgiving team dinner with their families in Orlando on Wednesday night was another step.
“These are intense, high-pressure moments, but they’re still kids,” Lucas said. “No matter that they’re making money or whatever, they’re still kids. And there’s still something about seeing your mom that gets you at peace and able to relax and then refocus on basketball.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2025 at 4:37 PM.