West Virginia Mountaineers Face BYU Cougars in Big 12 Tournament

The two teams meet in the second round with a spot in the conference tournament semifinals on the line.

Mar. 11, 2026 at 9:50pm

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The West Virginia Mountaineers (18-13) will take on the BYU Cougars (22-10) in the second round of the Big 12 tournament. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. EST and the game will be broadcast on ESPN2. West Virginia won the first meeting between the teams 79-71 in Morgantown, with five Mountaineers scoring in double figures. BYU will be without senior guard Richie Saunders, who suffered a season-ending injury in mid-February.

Why it matters

This second-round matchup in the Big 12 tournament will determine which team advances to the semifinals. Both West Virginia and BYU had strong regular seasons and will be looking to make a deep run in the conference tournament.

The details

West Virginia was led by senior guard Honor Huff, who scored 19 points in the first meeting, while senior forward Brenen Lorient nearly had a double-double with 18 points and 9 rebounds. BYU was paced by sophomore guard Robert Wright's 23 points and a 20-point performance from potential 2026 NBA Draft top pick, freshman AJ Dybansta. Huff leads the Mountaineers in scoring at 15.8 points per game, while Lorient is second at 11.6 ppg. Dybansta leads the Cougars in scoring (25.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg), with Wright second in scoring at 18.5 ppg.

  • The teams first met on January 15, 2026 in Morgantown, with West Virginia winning 79-71.
  • The second-round Big 12 tournament matchup is scheduled for March 11, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

The players

Honor Huff

A senior guard for the West Virginia Mountaineers, leading the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game.

Brenen Lorient

A senior forward for the West Virginia Mountaineers, scoring 11.6 points per game and averaging a team-high 5.3 rebounds.

AJ Dybansta

A freshman forward for the BYU Cougars, leading the team in scoring (25.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.8 rpg), and considered a potential top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Robert Wright

A sophomore guard for the BYU Cougars, scoring 18.5 points per game, second on the team.

Richie Saunders

A senior guard for the BYU Cougars who suffered a season-ending injury in mid-February and will miss the tournament.

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What they’re saying

“We must be ready to face a tough BYU team that has had a great season. Our guys are focused and excited for the challenge ahead.”

— Bob Huggins, Head Coach, West Virginia Mountaineers

“Losing Richie is a big blow, but we have other guys who are ready to step up. We're confident we can still make a deep run in this tournament.”

— Mark Pope, Head Coach, BYU Cougars

What’s next

The winner of this second-round matchup will advance to the Big 12 tournament semifinals on March 13, 2026.

The takeaway

This second-round Big 12 tournament game between West Virginia and BYU features two teams that had strong regular seasons and are looking to make a deep run in the conference tournament. The winner will have a chance to compete for the Big 12 title, while the loser's season will come to an end.