Cincinnati vs BYU Odds
| Cincinnati Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+10.5 -115 | 152.5 -110o / -110u | +400 |
| BYU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-10.5 -105 | 152.5 -110o / -110u | -550 |
The BYU Cougars will welcome the impressive 11-2 Cincinnati Bearcats to Provo, Utah, on Saturday.
Many will argue these two teams have not been too challenged so far this year, but digging into the metrics tells me otherwise. Both of these teams are outstanding rebounding squads, so we should see an intense battle down low.
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Bearcats have not had the most difficult schedule so far this year, and the two games they have lost have come against teams ranked in the top 41, according to KenPom. I have a hunch this may be a big step up in class.
The rebounding numbers for the Bearcats are truly remarkable. They are the top team in the nation in preventing offensive rebounds and are seventh in generating their own second-chance opportunities.
The offense does move at a decent pace, ranking inside the top 130 in the country in tempo. They're a decent 3-point shooting team but fail to reach the charity stripe very often.
I like how Cincinnati protects the basketball, but I’m having a hard time envisioning a crazy upset in this contest. The Bearcats are going to have to win this game with their defense, although they don’t force many turnovers.
That seems like an awfully tall task against a terrific Cougars offense. We’ll have to see if the Bearcats enter Provo with some energy and pull off the big upset.
BYU Cougars
There’s no glaring weakness on this BYU squad, except it should probably make an effort to get to the free-throw line more often. The Cougars boast the seventh-ranked offense in the entire country, so they should be able to counter the strong Bearcats defense.
BYU is shooting 38% from deep and 60% inside the arc. Forward Jaxson Robinson has been a star so far this year, shooting 41% from distance. The Bearcats aren’t the best at forcing turnovers, but the Cougars rarely turn the ball over regardless.
There are way too many advantages for the Cougars for me to list. I especially expect them to take big advantage of their trigger-happy shot selection from deep.
BYU also has one of the best home-court advantages, which should come into play in this game.
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Cincinnati vs. BYU
Betting Pick & Prediction
This was a tough decision considering the spread seems about right. I’m going to take the under in this game despite the Cougars' offensive prowess.
I like the under because both of these teams are sound on the defensive side of the ball, and the strong rebounding numbers from both is going to help us crawl to the finish line of this contest.
With both of these teams expected to generate consistent second chances, that correlates to more clock churning off. I’m not quite sure where the market will land on for a total, but I think this is a bit of a generous number.
