Keba Keita blocked a shot in the final seconds and BYU beat North Carolina 78-76 Friday night in Salt Lake City. Both teams weren’t totally dialed in on offense — which isn’t unexpected for October — but both teams brought the intensity and treated this like a real game, which will pay dividends for when the season begins in less than two weeks.
Four BYU players scored between 12 and 18 points, led by 18 from AJ Dybantsa. AJ scored 18 points and added 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks. His block of UNC star freshman Caleb Wilson in the first half was one of the highlights early on. Keba Keita had a double double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, Richie Saunders scored 14 points, and Rob Wright rounded out BYU double figure scorers with 12.
A major storyline going into the game was the battle of star freshmen and future lottery picks AJ Dybantsa and Caleb Wilson. Wilson stepped up in a big way, leading all scorers with 22 points and adding 10 rebounds and 3 blocks.
Neither team shot the ball well from distance — UNC was 4-19 from three while BYU was just 5-25. Richie Saunders was 2-9 from three while Rob Wright was 0-4. Kennard Davis was just 1-4 from distance, but his corner three with two minutes left put BYU up 74-71, a lead which BYU would not relinquish. Davis also got an and-1 shortly before, scoring 6 of his 8 points in crunch time for BYU.
Below are some of my thoughts from watching the game. BYU opens the season November 3 versus Villanova.
Takeaways and Observations
