BYU coach Kevin Young expressed his disappointment regarding the derogatory anti-Mormon chants from the Oklahoma State student section during the No. 16 Cougars’ 99-92 upset defeat against the Cowboys on Wednesday night.
“I heard some ‘F The Mormons’ chants from the student section tonight,” Young mentioned during his postgame press conference. “It was a fantastic win for Oklahoma State University, and their fans should feel proud, but a bit of class would be appreciated.”
“I have four young children at home, I’m a Mormon, and when I return, they’re going to ask me about it, just like they did last year at Arizona.”
The Big 12 released a statement on Thursday indicating that it is “aware of and investigating reports of inappropriate chants.”
“The Conference has zero tolerance for such behavior and will handle the situation according to Big 12 sportsmanship policies,” the league stated.
This marks at least the fourth instance in a year where the derogatory chant targeting Mormons has surfaced during BYU men’s basketball or football games, and it has been heard at other events in previous years.
Arizona extended an apology for the chant during last season’s matchup against BYU in Tucson, while the same chant was noted from fans of Colorado and Cincinnati during football games in 2025. All three institutions issued apologies for these incidents, and the Big 12 fined the Buffaloes program $50,000 alongside a public reprimand.
“There’s too much hate in the world for comments like that,” Young remarked. “We already deal with enough issues in our society without targeting people’s religions and beliefs… This kind of behavior is unjustified… And it’s just disheartening.”
BYU star AJ Dybantsa scored 36 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the loss to Oklahoma State, led by Anthony Roy, who had a season-high of 30 points. This marked the Cougars’ third consecutive loss.
Following their victory, Oklahoma State fans rushed the court.
