Heading into the 2025 college basketball season, AJ Dybantsa and Mikel Brown Jr. are two of the most hyped prospects in the 2025 recruiting class. According to 247Sports, Dybantsa is the No. 2-ranked player in his recruiting class and Brown is the No. 6-ranked player in his class.
While they will not play together next season, they are teammates at the FIBA U19 World Cup. Both players are competing for Team USA as they try to capture the tournament as the best young squad in the world. On Friday, Dybantsa and Brown helped the United States get one step closer to winning the tournament.
In a close matchup with their Northern rival, the United States defeated Canada 108-102 in the quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinal round on Saturday. Dybantsa and Brown led the way, combining for 42 points. Dybantsa had 22 points, whereas Brown had 20.
“USA wins the Border Battle over Canada at the FIBA u19 World Cup. AJ Dybantsa and Mikel Brown Jr. combined for 42 PTS,” the Recruit News Instagram account wrote.
Team USA jumped out to an early lead in the game, taking a 30-24 lead in the first quarter. However, the game stayed tight throughout. At halftime, Team USA held a narrow 61-54 lead.
In the third quarter, it looked like Canada was going to come back to win the game. The Canadians outscored the Americans in the quarter, nearly tying the game. The Americans headed into the fourth quarter nursing a 79-78 lead.
However, in the fourth quarter, the Americans stepped on the gas and finished out the game. They outscored Canada 29-24 in the fourth quarter, winning the game 108-102 and advancing to the semifinal round.
AJ Dybantsa and Team USA will play New Zealand in the semifinals
With their win over Team Canada, AJ Dybantsa and Team USA will play New Zealand in the semifinals of the tournament. They will not have much time to rest as the semifinal game is set to be played on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. The winner will advance to play the winner of the other semifinal matchup between Slovenia and Germany in the final. The final will be played on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
AJ Dybantsa and the Americans are the favorites to win the tournament. However, they still have some strong teams ahead of them that could pull off the upset and send the Americans home early.