It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Kansas-BYU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Kansas BYU.
It is the middle of February. Teams have played close to 25 college basketball games at this point in the season. The NCAA Tournament is still a full month away. Teams are at that stage where they have logged a lot of miles but are not quite at the point where March Madness has arrived. It’s a tricky, in-between time for coaches and players in terms of managing their bodies, their workloads, and their emotions. Should rotations be expanded so that starters get more rest, or should rotations be shortened so that the best players are on the floor for longer minutes? Each coach, each team, has to figure out the solution which works best for its own situation, and that situation will differ from one team to the next. Let’s put this Kansas-BYU game into that context.
BYU is right on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. The Cougars might be one of the last four teams in, or they could be one of the first two or three teams out. They’re very close, either way. This game is huge for the Cougars. Their game-management situation would suggest that they need their best players on the floor as much as possible. They are playing at home. They were able to stay at home and sleep in their own beds Sunday and Monday night after playing (and beating) Kansas State on Saturday night. BYU won’t have to play another game until the coming weekend, so the Cougars can probably push their starters a little more than they normally might.
Kansas is a mid-level seed for the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks aren’t playing for a conference championship or a top-four NCAA seed. This is a team which might find it valuable to rest its starters and make sure it has fresher legs for the Big 12 and NCAA Tournaments. Kansas is not playing like a team with a lot to play for … because it doesn’t have a lot to play for at the moment.
Here are the Kansas-BYU College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Kansas-BYU Odds
Kansas: +2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +116
BYU: -2.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -140
Over: 147.5 (-115)
Under: 147.5 (-105)
How to Watch Kansas vs BYU
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Kansas Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kansas did not play well at all against Utah on Saturday night. That might seem like a reason to pick against KU, not for it, but the point to remember is that Kansas is unlikely to produce two straight clunkers. This is not an especially good Kansas team — Bill Self has had many far better teams in his career — but it’s still a decent team. The Jayhawks are likely to play better than they did on Saturday. It would be hard for them to be any worse.
Why BYU Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Kansas loss to Utah on Saturday shows how ordinary the Jayhawks are. This is not a vintage Kansas team. It is a vulnerable team with veterans who look mentally weary. A late-season road trip to Utah has put Kansas in a difficult position. Players look tired and might be hitting a wall on a late-season road swing. BYU worked Kansas State on Saturday. The Cougars are in a position to play with more energy than Kansas in this game on Tuesday.
Final Kansas-BYU Prediction & Pick
Kansas looks like a team which won’t make the extra effort to win this game at all costs. BYU, right on the bubble, does look like a team which will sacrifice in order to win. Take BYU.
Final Kansas-BYU Prediction & Pick: BYU -2.5
The post Kansas vs BYU prediction, pick, college basketball odds appeared first on ClutchPoints.
