BYU coach Kevin Young shared his disappointment over the anti-Mormon chants that could be heard from the Oklahoma State student section during the No. 16 Cougars’ 99-92 upset loss to the Cowboys on Wednesday night.

“There were some ‘F The Mormons’ chants tonight by the student section that I heard,” Young said in his postgame news conference. “It was a great win for Oklahoma State University. I think their fans should be proud, but it would be great if some class was warranted.

“I got four small kids at home, I’m a Mormon, and when I go home, they’re going to ask me about it, the same way they asked me about it last year at Arizona.”

The Big 12 said in a statement Thursday that it “is aware of and is investigating reports of inappropriate chants.”

“The Conference has zero tolerance for behavior of this nature and will address the matter in accordance with Big 12 sportsmanship policies,” the league said.

Oklahoma State president Jim Hess said in a statement that any behavior that targets or demeans others has no place at his school.

“The Cowboy Code calls us to treat others with respect and dignity, and we are reviewing what occurred and will address any violations of our standards of conduct appropriately,” Hess said. “Oklahoma State University values the relationship we have with BYU and deeply respects their community and their faith. I have reached out to BYU leadership directly to express our commitment to upholding the standards we expect from our community. We will continue to work with our students and fans to ensure that the atmosphere at our events reflects the values of the Cowboy family.”

This is at least the fourth time in the past year in which the derogatory chant aimed at Mormons has been used during a BYU men’s basketball or football game, and it has occurred at other games over the years.

Arizona apologized for the chant during last season’s loss to BYU in Tucson, while the same chant was heard from Colorado and Cincinnati fans during 2025 football games. All three schools apologized for the respective incidents, and the Big 12 fined the Buffaloes program $50,000 and issued a public reprimand.

“There’s too much hate in the world to be saying stuff like that,” Young said. “We’ve got enough problems in our world without going after people’s religion and beliefs. … This stuff is unwarranted. … And it’s just disappointing.”

BYU athletic director Brian Santiago wants to break the cycle.

“What we’re trying to do is eliminate the behavior from happening and the apologies that come afterward,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.

Santiago, who was not in Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the game, said he received an apology from Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg and that he was confident administrators across the Big 12 were taking the situation seriously.

“It’s super hurtful and unacceptable for these chants to be going on, these discriminatory chants, against our religion, against any religion,” Santiago said. “There’s a human element of it that we want people to understand how hurtful it is and how unsafe it feels for members of our faith.”

BYU star AJ Dybantsa had 36 points and seven rebounds in the loss, which was led by Anthony Roy‘s season-high 30 points. It was the Cougars’ third straight loss.

Oklahoma State fans stormed the court after the victory.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pakistan beat Netherlands by three wickets in the opening match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground on Saturday.

Chasing a target of 148, Pakistan reached the total in the final over to secure a hard-fought victory.

This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.

Pakistan began its campaign in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against Netherlands in Sri Lankan capital today (Saturday) amid chances of rain.

Captain Salman Ali Agha is aiming to continue the team’s impressive recent form when they face the Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo at 10.30 am (Pakistan Standard Time).

The 10th edition of the global tournament, jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India, will run from February 7 to March 8.

The Super 8 stage is scheduled to commence on February 22, while the semifinals will be played on March 4 and 5.

Since finishing as runners-up in the Asia Cup 2025, the Green Shirts have played 13 T20Is, winning 10 and losing only three.

Their confidence received a major boost after registering their first-ever T20I clean sweep over Australia in a three-match series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

This World Cup will mark Salman Ali Agha’s debut as Pakistan captain in a major ICC event.

He has already led Pakistan in 43 T20Is, securing 27 victories and building a reputation for calm leadership and tactical clarity.

Historically, Pakistan has maintained a strong presence in ICC T20 World Cup competitions.

They won the title in 2009 and finished as runners-up in 2007 and 2022. Pakistan also reached the semifinals in 2010, 2012 and 2021.

Overall, Pakistan have won 30 out of the 51 matches they have played in the tournament’s history.

Pakistan Squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Kh M Nafay (wicketkeeper), M Nawaz, M Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq.

Netherlands squad: Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar.