Cincinnati Bearcats vs BYU Cougars Prediction, 1/25/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Cincinnati Bearcats vs BYU Cougars

Date: Saturday, January 25, 2025

Location: Marriott Center in Provo, UT

TV: ESPN+

Marriott Center is the location where the BYU Cougars (12-6) will attempt to beat the Cincinnati Bearcats (12-6) on Saturday.

The Cincinnati Bearcats faced off with Texas Tech and went home with a loss by a final score of 81-71 in their last contest. In relation to fouls, the Bearcats ended up finishing with 13 while Texas Tech accounted for 16 fouls. They also buried 12 of 31 attempts from beyond the arc. Texas Tech ended up shooting 83.3% from the free throw line by making 15 of their 18 shots. On top of that, Texas Tech grabbed 33 boards (9 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Texas Tech earned 13 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. Regarding defending, Cincinnati let their opponent shoot 45.0% from the floor on 27 out of 60 shooting. They also recorded 14 assists in the game as well as forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and getting 4 steals. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they collected 25 with 2 of them being of the offensive variety. At the charity stripe, the Bearcats made 14 of 19 shots for a rate of 73.7%. Cincinnati wrapped up the contest with a 51.9% FG percentage (27 out of 52) and knocked down 3 of their 14 shots from beyond the arc.

Jizzle James is a guy who had an impact in the game. He walked away with 17 points on 8 out of 12 shooting. He was on the court for 27 minutes and totaled 3 boards. He finished shooting 66.7% from the floor and also totaled 3 assists.

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Cincinnati heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 12-6 on the campaign. They are averaging 72.3 points per contest (246th in college hoops) while hitting 45.5% from the floor. The Bearcats are connecting on 32.4% on shots from 3-point land (136 of 420) and 65.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Cincinnati is snagging 37.0 boards per contest and has accounted for 261 dimes for the season, which ranks 181st in Division 1 in terms of passing. They lose possession by turning the ball over 10.1 times per game and as a group are committing 13.6 fouls every game.

Defensively, the Bearcats are able to force 12.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 14.5 personal fouls. They are 25th in college in allowing assists to the opposition with 189 surrendered this season. The Bearcats defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 39.1% (406 of 1,038) and they relinquish 33.1 boards per game as a group. They are conceding 28.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they are ranked 10th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (61.7).

The last time they took the court, the BYU Cougars walked away with a victory by a final of 83-67 when they faced Colorado. When discussing cleaning the glass, BYU allowed Colorado to grab 22 in all (7 offensive). They shot 36.8% from beyond the arc by going 7 of 19 and finished the contest at 18 of 27 at the free throw line (66.7%). The Cougars allowed Colorado to make 21 out of their 46 tries from the floor which had them at 45.7% in this contest. Overall, the Cougars ended up shooting 31 for 53 from the field which had them shooting 58.5%. With respect to shots from beyond the arc, BYU buried 11 of 24 tries (45.8%). They were able to make 10 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 66.7%. Colorado had 12 personal fouls for the game which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for 15 tries. They also turned it over 14 times, while getting 11 steals for this contest. The Cougars were able to pull down 17 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 25 in this contest.

Richie Saunders was important for the Cougars in this matchup. He made 10 out of 15 for the contest for a field goal rate of 66.7%, and added 5 rebounds. He earned 25 points in his 33 mins on the hardwood and had 1 assist for the game.

BYU has a win-loss record of 12-6 on the season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Cougars are connecting on 47.8% from the floor, which ranks them 51st in college. BYU has scored 1,447 points for the campaign (80.4 per game) and they pull in 39.2 rebounds per contest. They are earning an assist 17.1 times per contest (25th in college) and they turn it over 11.9 times per game. The Cougars have committed 15.9 personal fouls per game and they shoot 68.1% from the charity stripe.

The BYU defense gives up 34.9% on shots from beyond the arc (159 of 455) and their opponents are converting on 68.0% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 12.4 dimes and 30.1 boards per game, which ranks 131st and 12th in college. The Cougars defensively are ranked 62nd in the nation in points given up per game with 67.0. They are able to force 12.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.8% from the floor (104th in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take BYU

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