Mark Durrant on BYU Hoops: “This Team Could Win a National Championship” | + Villanova Preview

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This week Y’s Guys welcomed longtime BYU basketball radio analyst and former Cougar forward Mark Durrant to preview the Cougars’ season opener against Villanova and break down BYU’s win over North Carolina at the Delta Center.

Mark called the UNC exhibition “as intense as any regular-season game” and said both programs “looked like they had something to prove.” He marveled at how far BYU has come since his playing days—“We were lucky to scrimmage Athletes in Action; now we’re facing North Carolina on national TV”—and praised the experience as “invaluable preparation” for Big 12 play.

Durrant spotlighted Keba Keita as “a difference-maker every minute he’s on the floor,” noting his shot-blocking, defensive range, and presence that alters even unrecorded stats. He also raved about the talent level under new head coach Kevin Young, calling freshman AJ Dybantsa “a program-changer,” while crediting Richie Saunders for easing the pressure on him: “The best thing that happened to AJ is Richie, and the best thing that happened to Richie is AJ.” He added that freshman point guard Rob Wright forms the perfect complement to the two wings, giving BYU “the quickest dribble-penetrator I’ve seen in Provo.”

Mark compared today’s recruiting landscape to his own era, explaining that BYU’s investments in NIL and facilities have made it realistic for the program to sign NBA-level players. Asked if seeing Dybantsa in a BYU jersey still feels surreal, he quipped, “It’s like looking in the mirror—outside of the athleticism.” He expects BYU’s defense to define how far the team goes: the starting five “can lock down anyone,” but the second unit must improve against three-point shooters.

The conversation closed with Mark’s trademark humor and insight. He revealed his Top 5 Big 12 Teams—Houston, BYU, Texas Tech, Iowa State, Kansas—saying the Cougars “can win a national championship” if they stay healthy. He also reminisced about his brother Devin Durrant, a first-round pick in the legendary 1984 NBA Draft, and predicted that AJ Dybantsa could become “the next great BYU offensive player” in that lineage. “BYU has better players than North Carolina,” he concluded, “and that still blows my mind.”

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Timestamps (approximate):
00:00 – Intro: BYU Radio analyst Mark Durrant joins Y’s Guys
00:34 – Keba Keita’s impact and why he changes every possession
02:12 – BYU vs UNC exhibition recap and game intensity
04:17 – Are public exhibitions better than secret scrimmages?
05:16 – Seeing AJ Dybantsa in a BYU jersey still feels surreal
06:42 – How BYU built an NBA-level roster through NIL and facilities
07:19 – Richie Saunders, AJ Dybantsa & Rob Wright chemistry
09:55 – BYU defensive identity and second unit improvement
10:36 – Villanova opener preview on TNT and non-conference schedule
12:30 – 1984 NBA Draft story and Devin Durrant connection
13:18 – AJ Dybantsa’s offensive potential compared to Devin & Jimmer
17:30 – Mark’s Top 5 Big 12 teams rankings and why BYU is #2
23:00 – BYU vs Houston for Big 12 supremacy discussion
24:32 – Season expectations and team growth through adversity
27:00 – Closing banter and Blaine’s “hot-tub film session” joke