No. 25 BYU Routs Omaha 108-67 in Marriott Center Home Opener

No. 25 BYU opened its home schedule the way it has opened its last 20 others: with a win. The Cougars beat Omaha 108-67 on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, at the Marriott Center, improving to 2-0 and stretching their home-opener winning streak to 21 games, according to BYU Athletics. Attendance was 16,190.

How the game went

Omaha, which entered 1-0, was never a threat. Yahoo Sports reported that BYU opened with a 20-7 lead in the first seven minutes, and the Cougars led 56-30 at halftime, per BYU's recap. A late 11-0 run pushed the margin to 99-55, according to the Yahoo Sports report. BYU crossed the 100-point mark on its way to the biggest margin of the young season.

The shooting numbers were lopsided. BYU's official recap lists the Cougars at 39 of 70 from the field, 16 of 35 from three-point range and 14 of 18 at the free-throw line, with 22 assists. Omaha went 8 of 23 from three, Yahoo Sports reported.

It was also a night of rare balance. Six BYU players scored in double figures, the first time that has happened since December 2024, per BYU's recap.

Who scored

BYU's official recap and Yahoo Sports coverage agree on the scoring leaders:

• Rob Wright III: 19 points, on 8-of-11 shooting. It was his second straight game as BYU's leading scorer, after his 35 points against Ohio State.
• Collin Chandler: 18 points.
• Tyler Betsey: 18 points, tying his career high. The Syracuse transfer made six of his eight three-point attempts in his Marriott Center debut, four in the first half and two in the second, Yahoo Sports reported.
• Bruce Branch III: 17 points and six rebounds.
• Jaxon Kohler: 11 points. Yahoo's recap credited him with seven rebounds.
• Jake Wahlin: 10 points, the top scorer off the bench.

The starters combined for 83 points, and the bench added 25, per Yahoo Sports. Eight players made at least one three-pointer.

Takeaways

The offense is deep. BYU followed a 94-point night against Ohio State with 108 against Omaha. Yahoo Sports noted the Cougars scored 1.54 points per possession and shot 56 percent from the field and 46 percent from three. Wright, Chandler, Betsey and Branch combined to make 25 of their 35 field-goal attempts. That is a tidy sample, but it is one game against a team Yahoo's preview ranked 272nd in KenPom, the second-lowest on BYU's schedule behind Weber State. The recap itself said Omaha "might be the weakest team on BYU's schedule," so treat the margin accordingly.

The Cougars ran. BYU outscored Omaha 31-0 on fast breaks, per its official recap, and Yahoo's takeaways piece counted 19 points off turnovers. Coach Kevin Young praised the team's ability to score off its defense, and said, "We have a lot of guys who can make threes on this team," according to BYU Athletics.

They owned the glass. BYU won the rebounding battle 46-27, including 15 offensive rebounds, and took care of the ball with eight turnovers against 22 assists, per BYU's recap. Yahoo's recap listed a slightly different turnover comparison, so check the official box score on byucougars.com for the final team stats.

Betsey is the early surprise. After going 4 of 5 from three against Ohio State, Betsey was 6 of 8 against Omaha. Yahoo's takeaways piece expects the percentage to come down, but suggests that a mark above 40 percent, combined with rebounding and defense, could put him in next year's NBA draft conversation. That is one writer's projection, not a forecast from BYU.

The bench helped. Bench players had 12 of BYU's 22 assists, Yahoo reported. Wahlin added two assists, two blocks and a steal to his 10 points. Brooks Bahr had five assists and three rebounds. Seven-foot backup Petar Ostojic hit a three.

Context for the season

The Omaha game was only the second all-time meeting between the schools. The first was a 45-40 BYU win in December 1943, according to BYU's game preview, which also noted BYU is 14-2 against Summit League schools since the 1980-81 season.

The win came four days after BYU's 94-83 comeback victory over Ohio State at the Delta Center, which we covered in BYU beat Ohio State 94-83 in the Nov. 2 opener. For the new roster and the full slate, see our 2026-27 season preview.

What's next on the schedule

BYU's official schedule lists three more home games before the Cougars head to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational:

All three are at the Marriott Center. The Maui Invitational follows in Lahaina, Hawaii, starting Monday, Nov. 23, against Washington (3 p.m. MST, ESPN2). Later in the schedule, the home slate includes Utah State on Dec. 9, Utah on Jan. 16 and a Jan. 9 date with Kansas, though tip times and networks can change, so confirm on the schedule page.

BYU football is also on the road this weekend. The Cougars play at Utah today, and our Holy War game guide has the details.

Going to the Queens game: tickets, parking, where to watch

Where to watch. The Queens game is listed on ESPN+ at 7 p.m. MST, with BYU Radio carrying audio. For the Omaha game, BYU's preview named Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler and Spencer Linton as the ESPN+ broadcast team. Check the schedule page on byucougars.com for any change.

Tickets. BYU's Marriott Center policies page says tickets can be bought online at BYUtickets.com, by phone at 801-422-2981 (Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed 11 a.m. to noon Tuesdays), or in person at the Ticket Office. Satellite booths may sell tickets at men's basketball and other large events. Children two and older need a ticket, and tickets are non-transferable. The page prohibits buying season tickets mainly to resell them and says scalping on BYU property is not permitted. Prices and availability for Tuesday are not on the pages I could read, so check BYUtickets.com. Students should see our ROC Pass explainer.

Entry. All entrances open about 60 minutes before tip, per BYU, so for a 7 p.m. game that means about 6 p.m. BYU's men's basketball fan guide lists mobile ticketing for home games. If you leave and want to return, have your ticket exit-scanned first.

Bags and prohibited items. BYU's policies page says no bags are allowed, with exceptions for small bags no larger than 5 by 8 by 1 inches, medically necessary bags and reasonably sized diaper bags. The same page's prohibited-items list is stricter, so call the Special Events Office at 801-422-6022 if you are unsure. Food and drink, including bottled water, are not allowed inside. Alcohol and tobacco, including e-cigarettes, are banned across campus, parking lots included.

Parking. BYU's fan guide says reserved and public parking are available around the Marriott Center and campus, and BYU's Marriott Center page has said reserved lots are held for pass holders until about 30 minutes after game time. For a Friday game, the fan guide's timeline had lots opening at 4:30 p.m., doors at 6 p.m. and tip at 7 p.m. I could not confirm Tuesday's lot schedule, so use the campus parking map linked from byucougars.com. Our BYU football parking guide explains how the lots around campus work, and basketball nights are lighter.

Food. Our where to eat before and after a BYU game guide covers the options near campus, and the full arena rundown is in our BYU basketball game day guide. For everything Cougar-related, start at The BYU Guide.