Big 12 Tournament: BYU vs West Virginia Preview, Odds, Predictions (March 11)
- BYU took down Kansas State in the first round of the tournament.
- The Mountaineers got a bye to the second round of the tournament.
- This marks the seventh all-time matchup between the two Big 12 squads.
The Big 12 is expecting a solid matchup on March 11 when the BYU Cougars face the West Virginia Mountaineers in the second round of the conference tournament. The former comes out as the slight favorite, paving the way for an interesting duel that can go either way as it depends on many factors.
How to Watch
- When: Wednesday, March 11, 7 pm ET
- Where: T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri
- How to Watch: ESPN2
NCAA Matchup Odds & Lines
| Team | Odds | Spread | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|
| BYU | -106 | -4.5 | O141 |
| West Virginia | -114 | +4.5 | U141 |
Game Preview
The Cougars (22-10, 9-9 Big 12) made solid work of Kansas State to advance from the first round of the Big 12 Tournament. AJ Dybantsa scored a Big 12 Tournament freshman record 40 points as the 6-foot-9 forward went 15-of-21 from the field, 2-of-6 from three and 8-of-9 from the free throw line in the win. He also had nine rebounds, six assists and three steals as BYU broke the tournament record for points scored in a game. Kennard Davis Jr. scored in double figures for a second straight game as he finished with 15 points, knocking down four 3-pointers.
The Mountaineers (18-13, 9-9 Big 12) finished in the middle of the Big 12 standings, taking the seventh seed in the bracket. They got a bye to the second round as tiebreaker rules allowed them to not need a game in the first round. Honor Huff is the most explosive scorer on the team with his perimeter shooting, averaging 15.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest that includes 106 triples made on a 35.3% clip. Meanwhile, Brenen Lorient could have a double-double night with averages of 11.6 points and five rebounds per game.
BYU vs West Virginia Head-to-Head
The two programs have had six meetings in their history, and the result is 4-2 for the Cougars. The last matchup was in February this year when West Virginia won 79-71 at home.
BYU vs West Virginia Predictions
The winner of Wednesday’s second-round matchup will face second-seeded Houston on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET. West Virginia possesses the balanced attack that can give trouble to BYU’s defense throughout the night. However, if they can’t limit AJ Dybantsa’s ability to explode with huge scoring performances, it would be fair to anticipate the Cougars to go to the next round. Our betting pick here is the Cougars to defend a 4.5-point spread.
- Free NCAAB pick:Â BYU Cougars -4.5
