The BYU Cougars will reportedly face the Villanova Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on opening night of the 2025-26 season, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
The game will mark the debut for AJ Dybantsa, the top freshman in the 2025 class and a prospect already drawing comparisons to Kevin Durant for his size and elite scoring ability.
Nov. 3, 2025 is the start of the college hoops season, and an official announcement, including tip-off time, will come at a later date.
Dybantsa chose BYU over a litany of other programs, including Alabama, North Carolina, and Kansas, choosing to stay closer to his current home while playing at Utah Prep. The 6’9 wing is planning to be a one-and-done player for the Cougars and is currently the consensus projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
BYU will be in the spotlight frequently in 2025-26 thanks to Dybantsa, although new coach Kevin Young has this team off to a hot 8-2 start this season with a pair of very fun freshmen in Egor Demin and Kanon Catchings.
While Villanova certainly doesn’t have the same prestige following Jay Wright’s retirement and the pedestrian performance over the past few seasons under Kyle Neptune, this is still a marquee opening day matchup and gets Dybantsa in the headlines right away for his lone campaign in Provo.