BYU basketball opens Monday with 10 new faces and a point to prove on defense

BYU's regular season opens Monday against Ohio State, and for the first time in two years, the Cougars are walking in with a roster built specifically around the lessons of a disappointing one.

Last season, BYU fell from 37th nationally in three-point percentage to 146th, posted 12 games under 30% from deep, and allowed 82.9 points per game in Big 12 conference play — one of the worst defensive marks in the league. The team also, as one coach put it, 'didn't click perfectly,' never finding the chemistry that had carried the Cougars to the Sweet 16 in Kevin Young's first year.

This offseason, Young and his staff went to work on all three problems at once. The result is a roster with 10 new faces, a dramatically upgraded shooting profile, and a stated mission to change the narrative on defense.

The foundation is returning point guard Rob Wright III, who shot 41% from three last season. Around him, BYU added Power-conference transfers Collin Chandler (Kentucky), Tyler Betsey (Syracuse), Jake Wahlin (Clemson), and Jaxon Kohler (Michigan State), along with 5-star freshman wing Bruce Branch III.

The shooting upgrade is stark on paper. Four players who departed via the transfer portal — Kennard Davis Jr., Aleksej Kostic, Tyler Mrus, and Dominique Diomande — combined to shoot 32% on 318 three-point attempts last season. Their replacements — Chandler, Betsey, Wahlin, and Kohler — shot a combined 39% on 550 attempts. Chandler hit 46% of his triples in SEC play at Kentucky; Betsey shot 44% from deep against ACC competition.

I don't think there's any replacement for shooting. There just isn't.— Kevin Young, BYU head coach

Young described how the roster is specifically constructed to amplify Wright's strengths. Kohler, a stretch big who flirted with 40% from three as a senior at Michigan State, creates a decision problem for opposing defenses: stop Wright at the rim, or rotate out to Kohler on the perimeter.

The way that this roster is constructed really fits Rob's strengths. He's got a lot of space on the floor to find all those cracks and crevices that he's so good at, and then when he sprays the ball out, you've got guys that can knock your shots down. Then you tack on a guy like Jaxon, who can pick and pop, and it really puts the defensive big man in a position where he's got to choose, 'Are you going to stop Rob at the rim, or are you going to have to rotate out to Jaxon on the perimeter?'— Kevin Young, BYU head coach

The bench adds more shooting depth. Nate Pickens shot 39% from distance at UC Riverside, Dawson Baker was netting 47% of his triples before a season-ending injury last year, and true freshman Dean Rueckert ranked among the top high school shooters in the country. According to SI, the 2026-27 roster has four players who hit at least 38% of their threes last season in college basketball — compared to just three core rotation players who cleared 35% a year ago.

The defense is the bigger question. A prominent national insider has said BYU 'won't be able to guard anybody' this season, and the coaching staff is aware of it. Associate head coach Tim Fanning said the Cougars are leaning into that skepticism as motivation, and that there will be 'some schematic things that we're going to do differently this year.' The emphasis, Fanning said, will be on 'defensive disposition' — a more intentional mindset of urgency on that end.

A lot of people have said a lot of things about how we're going to play defense. There's been a lot of questions there, and I think that's something that motivates us to go out there and have a different attitude defensively. I think there's guys on the roster that haven't for whatever reason been known as great defenders, and so it's a challenge for us, like, 'Can we change that narrative?' So far, everyone's motivated to do that.— Tim Fanning, BYU associate head coach

Chemistry, the third failure point from last season, has been a deliberate focus too. Fanning said the staff has pushed players to spend time together off the court since spring, and that the cohesion has been building organically.

We've really put an emphasis on getting the right guys onto the roster, and then getting those guys to spend time together off the court. It's one of those things you can't really manufacture, you know what I mean? People either get along or they don't get along, but I do think we've put an emphasis on having the team do stuff together, and I think that these guys do get along.— Tim Fanning, BYU associate head coach

Maybe more than any other year, I think we feel like the balance and cohesion of the roster from a basketball standpoint and from a character standpoint is the best we've got.— Tim Fanning, BYU associate head coach

The roster does carry one notable uncertainty: according to SI, BYU has one scholarship spot still open heading into the season, which Young could use for a midseason addition — as the program did last year with Abdullah Ahmed. That spot could also become more relevant depending on the eligibility status of Kohler, whose eligibility for a fifth year has not been fully resolved.

Monday's opener against Ohio State will be the first real test of whether a focused offseason has translated into a more complete team. BYU averaged more than 30 three-point attempts across its two exhibition games — a preview of the identity Young is building.

Why it matters — After a season that fell well short of expectations, BYU's choices this offseason — in recruiting, scheme, and culture — will determine whether the Cougars can return to the NCAA Tournament and compete in a loaded Big 12.

Reported by deseret.com, si.com, washingtonpost.com