AJ Dybantsa is on record saying he thinks BYU can compete for a national championship next season. The majority of national championship winners share 3 factors in common:

• Minimum top 20 adjusted offensive efficiency (and preferably top 5)
• Minimum top 30 adjusted defensive efficiency (and preferably top 20)
• Offensive rebounding rate above 30%

Where does BYU currently stand?

• #9 in offensive per Kenpom (though Barttorvik has BYU at #5, and #1 since February 10th)
• #71 in defense per Kenpom (in the 50s for Barttorvik, depending on the time frame)
• 31.9% rebounding rate per teamrankings (#23 in the country)

Not a bad start, though clearly there is some work to be done. Let's say for the sake of argument no non-senior leaves besides Egor for the NBA draft. That's 5 open roster spots, 2 of which will be filled by AJ and Xavier, with Burgess going on a mission. So what does BYU need to close the gap between them and say Houston, Florida, Duke, Auburn?

• Clearly the glaring gap in BYU's statistical profile is defense. We need a 7-footer who is a legit rim-protector to anchor a top 30 defense. Ideally, he will still being a net positive on the offensive end, preferably one with some face-up game.
• We also need to keep upgrading our length and athleticism on the perimeter. AJ should provide some of that, but we'll still need at least 1, if not 2, high quality 3-and-D players. Can Kevin Young find a Mag 2.0 in the portal? A college Klay Thompson, perhaps? Meanwhile, can Kanon develop into a more consistent player on both ends of the court?
• Not that our offense needs much work, but there's still 2 nitpicks:
  • 1) We don't really have a reliable iso player with a bag.
    • Saunders is phenomenal at what he does, but he's not a 1-on-1 player. Hall doesn't have it, as the end of the Wisconsin game showed once again. Baker is crafty, but his athleticism is limited. AJ should largely rectify this problem.
  • 2) Elite ball pressure stalls out our offense, as Houston as shown
    • I think finding a PG with better athleticism and ball-handling to still effectively drive against Houston-level defenses is the last thing we need to build an offense that can answer any problem a defense may try to throw our way. Someone like a Caleb Love.

The last thing I'll say is, we as fans really need to elevate our sights for the basketball program, like Kevin Young has done. No settling for convenient in-state transfers (unless they're obvious upgrades on both ends of the court). No settling for projects who might develop in a year or two. We don't need marginal improvements to spots 6-10 on the roster. We need proven production, who can immediately challenge for starting roles to raise both the floor and ceiling of our team. Guys who have shown they can score well, defend, and play smart. 

Kevin Young from the beginning had the elite, NBA sales pitch. Now he has the winning track record, both in the regular season and March. And BYU donors have the NIL funds. Time to finish building a championship contender. 

Go Cougs.