AJ Dybantsa, BYU to play UConn at TD Garden in November

AJ Dybantsa will return to his home state for a game at TD Garden. (Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

New England’s next chance to witness AJ Dybantsa, one of the top basketball prospects in the region’s history, will come this fall.

BYU announced Thursday that the Cougars will play UConn in a special regular season matchup at TD Garden on Nov. 15. The matchup is part of the Hall of Fame Series, organized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

Dybantsa, born in Boston and raised in Brockton, Mass., will play his first game in his home state since this past January’s Hoophall Classic, where he suited up for Utah Prep. The top-ranked prospect in the national 2025 class is the headliner for a BYU squad expected to be among the nation’s best next season.

Though Dybantsa has not played for a New England school since his freshman year at St. Sebastian’s, he has found his way home for one-off games in the past, including an appearance with Utah Prep at Emmanuel College last November. He is the (very early) frontrunner to be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.

FAMILY TAKES FLIGHT: How the Dybantsas acclimated to AJ’s budding superstardom

UConn, in addition to its status as New England’s top college basketball program, also has two players with local ties. Alex Karaban (Southborough, Mass.) will enter his senior year after averaging 14.3 points in 33 games (all starts) as a junior. Souleymane Diaby (Springfield, Mass.) joined the Huskies as a walk-on last season.