LAS VEGAS (AP) — Regarded as one of the nation’s top freshmen, BYU's AJ Dybantsa already had a pretty good idea of the energy basketball fans in Las Vegas provide as he prepared for his collegiate debut.

It was over the summer when Dybantsa sat in the front row near center court to see the Las Vegas Aces and felt the vibe at Michelob Ultra Arena inside Mandalay Bay, during what turned out to be the team's third WNBA championship campaign in four years .

The 18-year-old Dybantsa created his own electricity up the street on Monday night in front of more than 16,000 fans inside T-Mobile Arena — a majority of whom wore BYU blue — as he finished with 21 points and six rebounds to lead the eighth-ranked Cougars to a 71-66 win over Villanova in the Hall of Fame Series.

“I knew that the Ace

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