BYU Cougars vs Kansas State Wildcats Prediction, 1/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: BYU Cougars vs Kansas State Wildcats

Date: Saturday, January 3, 2026

Location: Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan, KS

TV: CBS

The BYU Cougars (12-1) are hitting the road to Bramlage Coliseum on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the Kansas State Wildcats (9-4).

The BYU Cougars faced off with Eastern Washington and earned the victory with a final of 109-81 in their last game. Concerning personal fouls, the Cougars ended up with 14 while Eastern Washington totaled 19 personal fouls. They also buried 10 of their 32 tries from beyond the arc. Eastern Washington ended up shooting 75.0% from the free throw line by burying 9 of their 12 tries. Moreover, Eastern Washington collected 29 boards (9 offensive, 20 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Eastern Washington doled out 18 dimes and had 6 steals for this contest. Regarding the defense, BYU allowed the other team to shoot 46.3% from the floor on 31 out of 67 shooting. They also recorded 23 dimes in the matchup while forcing the other team into 13 turnovers and earning 12 steals. In regard to grabbing boards, they compiled 39 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Cougars knocked down 17 of 20 tries for a percentage of 85.0%. BYU ended the game having earned a 53.5% field goal percentage (38 out of 71) and converted 16 of their 42 shots from beyond the perimeter.

AJ Dybantsa is one player who played a role for the matchup. He walked away from this one shooting 84.6% from the floor and also dished out 10 assists. He saw the court for 36 minutes and also pulled down 10 rebounds. He notched 33 points on 11 of 13 shooting.

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BYU steps onto the court with a win-loss record of 12-1 so far this season. They average 87.4 pts per contest (39th in the country) while shooting 50.2% from the floor. The Cougars are hitting 36.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (120 of 326) and 75.6% from the free throw line. As a unit, BYU is collecting 39.3 rebounds per contest and has accumulated 203 assists on the season, which ranks 160th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 10.1 times per game and as a squad are committing 13.7 fouls per game.

When they are on the defensive end, the Cougars are forcing 13.5 turnovers per game while drawing 18.9 fouls. They are 132nd in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 170 surrendered for the season. The Cougars defense is allowing a FG percentage of 40.1% (320 of 798) and they surrender 33.1 boards per game as a squad. They are conceding 31.2% on shots from distance and they are 49th in the country in points per game allowed (66.6).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Kansas State Wildcats took home the win by a final score of 94-85 when they faced UL Monroe. In reference to how they attacked the glass, Kansas State permitted UL Monroe to collect 27 in total (7 offensive). They finished the game shooting 38.9% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 7 of 18 and finished the game at 24 out of 34 at the free throw line (70.6%). The Wildcats allowed UL Monroe to convert 27 of 55 attempts from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 49.1% for the game. When the game finished, the Wildcats walked away from this one shooting 33 for 70 from the field which had them shooting 47.1%. In relation to three-point shots, Kansas State converted 10 out of 35 attempts (28.6%). They were able to make 18 of the free throws for a percentage of 75.0%. UL Monroe earned 20 fouls for the game which got the Wildcats to the free throw line for a total of 24 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 13 times, while recording 8 steals for this contest. The Wildcats were able to pull down 26 defensive rebounds and 15 offensive boards for a total of 41 in this contest.

PJ Haggerty pitched in for the Wildcats for the matchup. He racked up 24 points in his 29 mins on the court and tallied 3 assists in the matchup. He converted 7 out of 16 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 43.8%, and had 8 rebounds.

Kansas State has a win-loss record of 9-4 so far this season. As an offensive unit, the Wildcats are connecting on 49.4% from the field, which ranks 41st in the country. Kansas State has totaled 1,150 points so far this year (88.5 per contest) and they snag 38.0 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 19.6 times per game (13th in the country) and they cough up possession 13.0 times per contest. The Wildcats are committing 19.2 personal fouls every game while shooting 71.6% from the free throw line.

The Wildcats defensively are ranked 285th in the country in points allowed per contest with 77.6. They have forced 13.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (182nd in D-1). The Kansas State defense allows 33.0% from downtown (107 of 324) and opponents are converting on 71.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They relinquish 15.0 assists and 32.6 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 284th and 86th in the country.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Kansas State

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