Robert Wright III projected as Big 12 preseason player of the year

Coming over as a transfer after beginning his college career with the Baylor Bears, much was expected of BYU Cougars' Robert Wright III. The class of 2024 No. 1 point guard lived up to expectations, averaging 18.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists while orchestrating one of the top offenses in the Big 12. He did a tremendous job balancing his scoring and table-setting for wings AJ Dybantsa and Richie Saunders, who each had terrific seasons before Saunders went down with a torn ACL in February.

But with both gone, the 2026-27 season is setting up to be a full-blown breakout for Wright. CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein even went as far as saying Wright should be the Big 12's pick for Preseason Player of the Year.

"Rob Wright, to me, is the guy from BYU who deserves this accolade," Rothstein said. "He was sensational statistically last year playing off Richie Saunders, playing off AJ Dybantsa. He's older, he's more seasoned, more grizzled. Now all of a sudden, he takes the baton. Rob Wright will start the 2026-27 season as a preseason All-American and he has a chance again to have a terrific season under Kevin Young with BYU, with Collin Chandler on the wing, with Bruce Branch (III) on the wing. "

Two things can be true at the same time. Wright was terrific last season, upholding a high scoring average and demonstrating himself to be one of the top offensive guards in the Big 12. But he was also overshadowed by Dybantsa and Saunders, who each finished with higher scoring averages than him.

While Chandler and Branch will try to slide into the roles departed by Saunders and Dybantsa, respectively, this is unequivocally Wright's team.

With the fast-paced, up-tempo style of play that Young deploys, there's a chance that Wright's numbers skyrocket even higher than they did last year.

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This article originally appeared on BYU Cougars Wire: Robert Wright III projected as Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year