The 2026-27 season is here, which means it’s time for some bold predictions that could actually happen.

1. Rob Wright will be an All-American

Last season, Wright was one of the most exciting guards in the country. After averaging 11.5 points and 4.2 assists as a freshman at Baylor, he took a huge leap in his first year at BYU, averaging 18.1 points and 4.6 assists. He also shot 41% from three on nearly double the attempts he had in Waco. He did all of that playing next to AJ Dybantsa and Richie Saunders, which makes his jump that much more impressive.

Now, as a junior on a team without a proven scorer, could Wright take yet another leap? It’s definitely possible. There’s already plenty of buzz: he was named to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team and narrowly missed the AP Preseason All-American Team, receiving the fourth-most votes of any player who didn’t make it.

The intriguing part of this BYU roster is that several players could have a big night, so shutting down Wright doesn’t necessarily mean stopping the Cougars. Still, there will be nights when the team depends on him to win, and he had plenty of experience doing that last season.

At the end of last season, Kevin Young said his offseason priority was to surround Wright with shooters, and that’s exactly what he did. That should help Wright grow his assist average this year.

2. Collin Chandler takes the Richie Saunders junior leap

While they’re not the same player, Chandler’s game shares some similarities with Saunders’, starting with three-point shooting. However, Chandler has set out to prove he’s more than a marksman, and he showed that potential in BYU’s exhibitions, leading the team at 21 points per game.

As a sophomore, Chandler averaged 9.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 41% from three on 178 attempts. At the same stage, Saunders averaged 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists and hit 36% from deep on 99 attempts. Chandler was the better shooter and passer, while Saunders was the better rebounder.

Their shot profiles differed, too. Nearly 54% of Saunders’ field goal attempts as a sophomore came in the paint, compared to around 26% for Chandler. Meanwhile, 69% of Chandler’s attempts came from three, versus 41% of Saunders’.

As a junior, Saunders averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting a scorching 43% from three on 183 attempts.

Replicating that won’t be easy, but there are reasons to think Chandler could. He put up nearly identical sophomore numbers against SEC competition, and his three-point volume and percentage already resemble Saunders’ junior season.

Chandler is also a better athlete than Saunders, as he showed in flashes at Kentucky and in the exhibitions against Nebraska and UNLV. Still, Saunders had a knack for contorting around defenders to finish at the rim and was the more consistent finisher as a sophomore. Chandler will need to improve his paint scoring to make a Saunders-like jump.

Fortunately, this BYU roster is built similarly to Saunders’ 2024-25 team, so Chandler should get plenty of open looks.

3. Tyler Betsey leads the team in three-point percentage and threes made

On paper, BYU is loaded with shooters. Analytics guru Evan Miyakawa noted that his model rates the Cougars as having the most elite three-point shooters in the country, with five.

Besides Wright and Chandler, Jaxon Kohler and Tyler Betsey shot at least 39% from deep last season. That doesn’t include Dawson Baker and Nate Pickens, who shot at that clip the season before, or freshman Bruce Branch, who had a strong reputation from beyond the arc in high school.

However, no one on the roster is quite the specialist Betsey is. A staggering 73% of his field goal attempts last season came from three, and he still shot 41% from deep on 123 attempts.

Betsey should have more open looks in Young’s system than he’s ever had. And since he rarely takes shots in the paint or drives to the rim, he should have a clearly defined role when he’s on the floor.

After two years in power conferences, Betsey shouldn’t have trouble translating his shooting to the Big 12, the same conference where his career began at Cincinnati. He struggled in BYU’s two exhibitions, going just 1-of-6 from three, but there’s plenty of time for him to get back to doing what he does best.

Don’t be surprised if Betsey makes north of 80 threes this season.

4. Khadim Mboup is the most improved player on the roster

Mboup has the lowest statistical floor and the highest physical ceiling of any returner, and the end of last season showed what could come this year.

As a redshirt freshman, he averaged 2.2 points and 5.1 rebounds in 15.7 minutes across 34 games. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but anyone who watched him play knows his impact goes beyond the box score.

Though his minutes fluctuated, Mboup was efficient on the floor and improved as the year went on. Per 40 minutes, he averaged 13 rebounds. His standout performance came against Kansas State in the Big 12 tournament, where he had 8 points, a season-high 14 rebounds and two blocks in 23 minutes. He had five games with at least two blocks.

We already know what Mboup brings defensively, but he’ll need to be more productive on offense to take his game to another level.

With Jakub Urbaniak having to return to Europe because of eligibility issues, Mboup will slot in as BYU’s backup center behind Kohler. During the UNLV exhibition, though, Young used a few rotations with Mboup and Kohler on the floor together, so we may see that frontcourt pairing more often this season.

5. Five different players score 20+ in a game

Last year, BYU’s offense ran through three stars. This year’s roster may not be as talented, but it’s more balanced, with more scoring options.

In Young’s first season, seven players scored at least 20 points in a game: Saunders, Baker, Egor Demin, Fousseyni Traore, Dallin Hall, Trevin Knell, and Kanon Catchings. Young has another roster capable of doing the same.

Last season, Wright scored 20 or more 13 times and averaged nearly that many per game.

Chandler’s career high is 23 against Vanderbilt, the only time he’s reached that mark. But he’ll have a much bigger role this season, and he scored around that many in both of BYU’s exhibitions.

Branch is a five-star freshman who averaged 18 points a game last year at Prolific Prep. He averaged 14.5 points in the exhibitions, and given how comfortable he’s looked, he should score 20 or more in at least one game, if not several.

Like Knell in Young’s first season, Betsey is a three-point specialist who could get hot and score 20. His career high is 18 against Florida State last season, when he went 6-of-8 from three, and he also had 16 against No. 3 Houston.

Kohler scored 20 or more three times last season and five times in his career. With his ability to score in the paint and stretch the floor, he can put points on the board in a variety of ways.

Jake Wahlin has yet to score 20 in a game, but he had a career-high 17 against Wake Forest last year and 16 against Oklahoma State the season before. A good shooting night with some open looks could get the stretch big over the hump.

Baker, who has struggled with injuries, has scored 20 or more just once at BYU, but nine times in his career, including a career-high 33 at UC Irvine.

Pickens is also coming back from injury. He hasn’t played an official game for the Cougars yet, but he scored 20 or more three times at UC Riverside.

It’s safe to say BYU has a roster full of players who can score and show up when it matters most.