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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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With March Madness officially starting on Tuesday, several teams are getting big news regarding their star players, including Brigham Young University.
BYU features dynamic player AJ Dybantsa, who absolutely went off during his recent games in the Big 12 Tournament. Dybantsa and BYU didn't capture the championship, which the Arizona Wildcats claimed.
However, the school received news of its NCAA Tournament spot on Selection Sunday, as they hope for big contributions from Dybantsa and others.
Read More on NCAA
With their first-round game later this week, BYU received some major news regarding Dybantsa due to his performance in the college basketball season.
Read more: UMBC Trolls Steelers Amid First Four Delay Before NCAA Tournament
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On Tuesday, the Associated Press revealed its AP All-American First-Team, and unsurprisingly, Dybantsa is one of the five players on the squad.
Also unsurprisingly, he's joined by another top star, Cameron Boozer, of Duke, and Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg. Additionally, Texas Tech's JT Toppin and Arkansas' Darius Acuff landed first-team honors.
The NCAA March Madness account revealed the first team, along with graphics of each player and their respective school logos.
Each of those five teams will participate in the Big Dance, with placement in various regions. Duke and Michigan are both No. 1 seeds, with the Blue Devils in the East Region and Michigan in the Midwest Region.
The No.6 seed BYU will await its opponent, who will be determined in a First Four game tonight between No. 11 seed Texas and No. 11 seed NC State.
Dybantsa is likely to be a factor in determining how far his team can go in this version of March Madness. A week ago, he dropped 40 points in a win over Kansas State and has previously scored 43 points. A 50-point game seems like a possibility if he really goes off.
The freshman from Brockton, Massachusetts, is averaging 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He’s projected to be one of the top two or three picks in this year’s NBA Draft, if not the No. 1 overall pick.
This past season, Dybantsa and BYU had big wins over opponents like Texas Tech, Iowa State, Villanova, and Wisconsin. They also showed they can battle the top teams tough, with a two-point loss to then-No. 3 UConn, which featured a 25-point performance from Dybantsa.
Read more: Stephen A. Smith Reveals Final Four Picks in His March Madness Bracket
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