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<\/a><\/p>\nCORAL GABLES, FL – NOVEMBER 23: Miami Head Coach Jai Lucas encourages his players in the second half as the Miami Hurricanes faced the Delaware State Hornets on November 23, 2025, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Lewis\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Miami Hurricanes men\u2019s hoops team is off to a fantastic start. The team under first-year head coach Jai Lucas has won five of its first six contests. Their one defeat came at the hands of the defending national champion Florida Gators in Jacksonville, who were ranked 10th.<\/p>\n
Now, the Hurricanes will travel over 200 miles to Orlando for the ESPN Events Invitational Tournament. UM will be one of four teams competing in the Magic Bracket, alongside Dayton, Georgetown, and BYU. The No. 9 Cougars, led by freshman sensation A.J. Dybantsa, will be Miami\u2019s first opponent, and the two will face off on Thanksgiving Day, on ESPN at 5:00 PM ET. The winner will play either the Flyers or Hoyas in the title game, while the loser plays in the consolation game the next day.<\/p>\n
PROVO, UT – NOVEMBER 11: AJ Dybantsa #3 of the Brigham Young Cougars reacts after a dunk against Jayden Taylor #11, and Jameel Brown #55 of the Delaware Blue Hens during the second half of their game at the Marriott Center on November 11, 2025 in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner\/Getty Images) Getty Images<\/p>\n BYU has been no stranger to success over the last few years. The Cougars have won 20 or more games in five of the past six seasons. Last year, Brigham Young made the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season under rookie head coach Kevin Young.<\/p>\n In March, they earned the No. 6 seed in the East Region and proceeded to defeat the 11-seeded VCU Rams and the 3-seeded Wisconsin Badgers. Unfortunately, their run would end in the Sweet 16 against the 2-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide in a blowout.<\/p>\n The team is hoping to build off of last year\u2019s run and hopes to make the Elite 8 for the first time since 1981. This year\u2019s team is headlined by A.J. Dybantsa. The 6\u20198\u201d forward from Brockton, Massachusetts, is one of the top players in a stacked freshman class.<\/p>\n So far, the young swingman has lived up to lofty expectations. In five games, he\u2019s averaged 19.8 points per game on shooting splits of .548\/.385\/.743. He\u2019s also the team\u2019s leading Windex man, averaging 6.6 rebounds, along with 2.2 assists per game. However, he isn\u2019t the only name that makes up the BYU attack.<\/p>\n BYU\u2019s backcourt stars longtime Cougar Richie Saunders, a senior from nearby Riverton, Utah, five hours away from Provo. He, not Dybantsa, is BYU\u2019s leading scorer, as he\u2019s averaged 20.8 points per game. Sharing the backcourt with Saunders is sophomore Robert Wright III.<\/p>\n Wright is a figure that BYU has been familiar with since last year, as he played at Baylor. Wright has seen a few more minutes in playing time compared to last season. The youngster from Delaware has gotten off to a hot start, scoring the ball at an efficient rate. He can rip nets from downtown when comfortable.<\/p>\n He has also been the team\u2019s main distributor, averaging nearly six assists per night. The duo of Wright and Saunders has combined to score 37 points per game. Both have also contributed to the rebounding game, which is a similarity they share with Miami\u2019s starting backcourt of Tre Donaldson and Tru Washington.<\/p>\n However, despite the three leading men, BYU doesn\u2019t have much else as far as production. There\u2019s not much depth to this roster. No other player on the roster is currently cracking double figures in scoring. 6\u20196\u201d junior Kennard Davis Jr. and 6\u20194\u201d senior guard Dawson Baker round out the starting lineup.<\/p>\n A key bench player for this team is African big man Keba Keita. Keita spent his first two collegiate seasons with Utah before transferring over to BYU last season. In 17.2 minutes per game this season, Keita has chipped in by doing a little bit of everything.<\/p>\n His offensive game is limited, as he\u2019s averaging just under five points. However, he is usually on the floor to provide solid defense. He has given Coach Young 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and a blocked shot per game. Up to this point, BYU has played against great competition to open the season.<\/p>\n They began the year by taking down Villanova in a tightly contested game at the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas, 71-66. Then, after easily dispatching Holy Cross and Delaware at home, the Cougars traveled to Boston for the Amica Insurance Hall of Fame Series.<\/p>\n Against No. 3 UConn, BYU trailed by 11 points at halftime but nearly fought back to upset the Huskies before falling short, 86-84. They would quickly rebound, blowing by No. 23 Wisconsin at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City by almost 30 points, 98-70.<\/p>\n Similar Roster Makeups, Contrasting Styles<\/p>\n CORAL GABLES, FL – NOVEMBER 23: Miami guard Tre Donaldson (3) brings the ball up court in the first half as the Miami Hurricanes faced the Delaware State Hornets on November 23, 2025, at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Lewis\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n Miami and BYU share some qualities, but have their own distinct styles of how they play. Both teams usually prefer small-ball lineups. However, Miami is a team that has shown a preference to run up and down the court. Through six games, the Hurricanes are tied for 67th in the nation in pace and have generated tons of offense because of that.<\/p>\n UM is one of the highest-scoring teams in the country during the early portion of the season. As of now, they are averaging 92.2 points per game, usually on fast breaks, drives, and inside scoring. On the other hand, BYU plays at a much slower pace, ranking 212th in Division 1 basketball in that category.<\/p>\n Kevin Young\u2019s team runs a more methodical offense that\u2019s predicated on the dominating presence of Dybantsa. They love to space the floor, and when he gets doubled, that\u2019s usually when you see players like Saunders, who\u2019s a high-volume shooter, attempt shots from the outside. While BYU isn\u2019t in the top 50 for 3-point attempts, they still take a decent amount of them, attempting an average of 26.8 shots from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n On the other side, the Canes don\u2019t depend on or consider the 3-ball as a main element of their offense. The team has a few capable shooters, but Jai Lucas likes to run his offense through the wings and bigs in the paint. Miami only attempts 19.7 3-pointers per game, which ranks 298th in the nation. About 60 percent of their shots come from inside the perimeter.<\/p>\n Reneau vs. Dybantsa: Key Matchup<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n