KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — AJ Dybantsa had 27 points in another brilliant Big 12 Tournament performance, Kennard Davis Jr. added 20 points, and No. 10 seed BYU beat seventh-seeded West Virginia 68-48 on Wednesday night to advance to the quarterfinal round.
Robert Wright III also had 11 points before a crowd that included BYU alum and Chiefs coach Andy Reid along with his quarterback, Patrick Mahomes — whose No. 16 Texas Tech plays seventh-ranked Iowa State in the first quarterfinal Thursday.
As for the Cougars (23-10), their second win in as many days earned them a quarterfinal matchup with fifth-ranked Houston.
Honor Huff had 17 points for West Virginia (18-14), which had beaten BYU a couple of weeks ago. Brenen Lorient finished with 11.
Dybantsa was downright dominant in the Cougars' first-round win over Kansas State on Tuesday night, pouring in 40 points — three off the single-game Big 12 Tournament record set by Texas Tech's Mike Singletary — to go with nine rebounds and six assists.
Nothing much changed against the Mountaineers.
Dybantsa gave BYU the lead for good with his bucket with 9:36 left in the first half, and that was just the start of the highlights. He scored on a myriad of Euro-step layups, pull-up jumpers and rim-rattling dunks. The most impressive came in the final minute of the half, when he stole the ball from Lorient and threw down a dunk while getting fouled.
The three-point play gave the Cougars a 31-23 at the break.
West Virginia was still within 47-42 after Chance Moore's put-back dunk with 8:02 to go. But Wright scored at the other end for BYU, launching a 10-0 run over the next five minutes that sent the Cougars into the quarterfinal round.
BYU lost to second-seeded Houston in its only meeting on Feb. 7 in Provo, Utah.
The Mountaineers await their NCAA Tournament fate on Selection Sunday.
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BYU forward Khadim Mboup (7) beats West Virginia forward DJ Thomas (5) to a rebound during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the second round of the Big 12 Conference tournament Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
NEW YORK (AP) — More than 30 states will resume their antitrust trial against Live Nation and Ticketmaster on Monday after negotiations this week failed to result in many states joining a tentative settlement reached by the Justice Department.
Lawyers told the judge Friday at a hearing in New York that seven states — Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota, all of which of Republican attorneys general — were joining the Justice Department in settling with the live music giant.
The other 32 states plan to continue trying to convince a jury that Live Nation Entertainment and its ticketing subsidiary, Ticketmaster, are squelching competition and driving up prices for fans. They say this was done through threats, retaliation and other tactics to control virtually every aspect of the industry, from concert promotion to ticketing.
The companies say they do not monopolize their industry and that artists, sports teams and venues set prices and decide how tickets are sold.
A jury had already begun hearing testimony in the trial when the U.S. Justice Department, which had taken the lead in suing Live Nation, said it had reached a deal with the company that would save the public money by letting competitors of Live Nation into some ticket markets where they are currently excluded.
Many states criticized the deal, saying the federal government failed to get enough concessions from the company.
Testimony was put on hold for a week for more settlement negotiations, but with no breakthrough in sight, Judge Arun Subramanian said Friday the trial would resume.
The judge also ruled against Live Nation's objection to trial exhibits in which a company employee several years ago tells another worker that the prices Live Nation charges to access the VIP area of a Tampa, Florida, amphitheater are “outrageous,” that customers paying the fees "are so stupid” and that “I almost feel bad taking advantage of them” before writing, “BAHAHAHAHAHA.”
Live Nation had argued against their inclusion in the trial, saying the employees were making “passing references to non-ticket ancillary products — such as VIP club access, premier parking, or lawn chair rentals — sold to concertgoers at two amphitheaters” in Florida and Virginia.
The judge said the overall fan experience is relevant to the relationship between performers and their customers and some artists might not want to perform if fans were being charged too much for lawn chairs or other amenities.
Subramanian said it was no different than the harm that might occur to the film industry if movie theaters began charging $50 for concessions such as soda, candy and popcorn.
At a hearing on Tuesday, Live Nation attorney Dan Wall told the judge that the chance all states would settle their claims this week was “about zero.”
FILE - The Ticketmaster logo is seen along the sideline of the field before an NFL football game, Sept. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
