BYU superstar A.J.Dybantsa is among the first three players to post a 40-point game in one Yahoo!

That hasn't happened in at least 20 years.

BYU star A.J.Dybantsa is one of three freshmen to have 40 point games in a day

When people talk about how the 2026 NBA Draft Class is shaping up to be something extra special, this is the kind of thing they're talking about.

Three different freshmen finished with more than 40 points on Saturday: 43 against Utah by No.13 BYU's AJ Dybansa;No.6 Houston's Kingston Flemings with 42 points at No.12 Texas Tech;and no.1 Illinois' Keaton Wagler is 11th with a 46 against Purdue.All three performances set new scoring records for their programs.

"It's AJ mania!" Nothing can stop AJ Debantza 😱 @BYUMBB pic.twitter.com/TjRtMX7ZDl

- FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) 25 iianuarie 2026

This is truly an unprecedented day.For ESPN, this is the first time in at least 20 years that three freshmen have scored 40 or more points on the same day.

For DiBantsa, Utah coach Alex Jensen had plenty of praise after the game, calling him a "generational talent" and saying he saw his players expand for the first time.

Oh, and No. 5 Cameron Boozer of Duke scored 32 and No. 20 Arkansas' Darius Acuff scored 31. So, that's still five freshmen with at least 30 points on Saturday.

Each of the five players mentioned above have been projected by various outlets as lottery picks for the 2026 NBA draft, with Dybantsa and Boozer standing out as potential candidates for the first overall pick.His main competition, Darryn Peterson of Kansas, was out Saturday with an ankle injury.

There are still plenty of standout freshmen in college basketball this season, including No. 22 UNC's Caleb Wilson, who had 20 points against No. 14 Virginia.

It's becoming increasingly clear that even if the lottery prevents any team from guaranteeing a top-four pick, being at the top odds can still provide team-changing results.For example, the Washington Wizards, who have the worst record in the NBA (10-34), currently have a 14% chance of selecting the first pick, 13.4% of the second pick, 12.7% of the third pick, 12% of the fourth pick, 47.9% of the fifth pick, and cannot select any lower than that.

That means they have a better than 50% chance of getting one of Dybantsa, Boozer, Peterson, or Wilson along with a fifth-round pick.