Kevin Young and the BYU basketball program tipped off the 2026-2027 season with a 94-83 win over Ohio State. It's unwise to draw too many conclusions from one game, but what's the fun in that? Here are our overreactions to BYU's win over the Buckeyes.

Robert Wright III Could be National Player of the Year

Before the season, BYU head coach Kevin Young predicted that Robert Wright III would be the best point guard in college basketball. He may have undersold Wright's progress. The version of Rob Wright that we saw against Ohio State could be the best player in college basketball. Ohio State had no answer for Wright throughout the game. He ended the game with 33 points on only 15 shots including 4/5 from three. He attempted 12 free throws, making 11/12 and he had 5 assists to 1 turnover.

It was the most complete game Wright has played in a BYU uniform. Wright has always been able to get to the rim at will, but his ability to pass to shooters or throw lobs around the rim stood out. That, combined with his shotmaking, was impossible to stop.

He was the best player on the floor. The Cougars were +18 with him on the floor and -7 with him off the floor. The spacing of BYU's offense will allow Wright to be more efficient than he was a year ago. Last season, there were times where Wright shared the floor with two or even three non-shooters. That allowed defenses to help off the dribble and clog the paint. This season, defenses will have to guard the three-point line.

BYU's Search for Shooters is Already Paying Off

Speaking of the three-point line, Kevin Young was crystal clear after last season that he was going to prioritize shooting for the 2026-2027 roster. That bet is already paying off. BYU shot 11/24 from the three-point line.

The Cougars got off to a slow start from deep even though they were getting open looks. They shot 4/14 from deep in the first half. In the second half, BYU converted on the open looks and even made a few contested threes. BYU went 7/10 from three in the second period.

Robert Wright Tyler Betsey was 4/5 from three and Robert Wright III was 4/5 from three. Collin Chandler and Bruce Branch were not as efficient from three as they were in the preseason, shooting 2/12 from three combined.

Still, BYU shot 46% from three. Shooting was the downfall of last year's team. That will not be the case for this team.

BYU's Defensive Effort Will be Much-Improved

Last season, BYU's defensive effort was downright bad for large portions of games. That will not be the case with this group. They will still allow a lot of points - more on that in a moment - but the effort will be there. The Cougars were chasing after loose balls, running out to shooters, and showing great effort on rebounds.

The Lack of Rim Protection Will Bite BYU

There were times where BYU struggled to generate defensive stops, especially when Ohio State used its size around the rim. For as high as BYU's offensive ceiling could be, there are valid questions about the defense.

Ohio State shot 66% from inside the three-point line in this game. BYU needed to score 94 points to make this win as comfortable as it was. There will be times where BYU won't shoot as well from three and the lack of rim protection will bite them.

Bruce Branch Will Determine the Height of the Ceiling

BYU true freshman Bruce Branch III showed well in his BYU debut. Branch was 5/11 from the field including 0/3 from three. He finished with 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.

In the opinion of this author, Branch is the player that will determine the ceiling of this team. His physical traits give him the highest ceiling of any BYU player on the defensive end, and there is so much untapped potential in his offensive game. If he can consistently knock down threes like he did against Nebraska, he will materially elevate the potential of this team to make a run in March.

Freshman Brooks Bahr is the Freshman Richie Saunders

True freshman Brooks Bahr also made his BYU debut on Monday night. Bahr's box score wasn't glamorous, he finished with 2 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound. However, he impacted the game in a myriad of ways that don't show up on the box score. BYU was +11 in the 14 minutes that Bahr was on the floor.

Bahr has a way of playing with relentless effort and making winning plays. In a lot of ways, he reminds us of a freshman Richie Saunders. When Saunders arrived at BYU, his offensive game was not as polished as it was when he was an upperclassman. Saunders initially made an impact at BYU by coming off the bench and doing the dirty work that contributes to wins. Bahr has the same potential for this team.

The Vibes are Much Better

Even though "vibes" can't be quantified, it was clear that the vibes were off with last year's BYU basketball team. The injuries didn't help, sure, but the defensive effort and attitude was not what it needed most of the time, let alone all the time.

The vibes and team chemistry of this team feels much-improved after just one game. Yes, it was one game, but it doesn't take long to notice a team playing winning, team basketball.

There was a play near the end of the game that epitomized the potential team chemistry with this team. Collin Chandler made a play on the ball and forced a loose ball. Chandler saved the ball before it went out of bounds with a behind-the-back pass, then Robert Wright III found Bruce Branch III for an alley-oop.

SPECTACULAR 🤩

📺 FS1 pic.twitter.com/yHZlbZzMLX

— BYU Men's Basketball (@BYUMBB) November 3, 2026

Those energy plays turned transition opportunities were the kind of plays that BYU made on its way to the Sweet 16 two years ago. All five starters scored in double figures and they were making the extra pass to generate open threes. It's still early, but the early vibes are immaculate.