BYU Cougars (12-5) vs. Loyola Marymount Lions (11-5)
January 5, 2023 11:00 pm EDT
The Line: Loyola Marymount Lions +1.5 / BYU Cougars -1.5; Over/Under: +143
(Get latest betting odds)
The BYU Cougars and Loyola Marymount Lions meet Thursday in college basketball action at the Gersten Pavilion. The BYU Cougars look for their 13th win. The Loyola Marymount Lions look for their 12th win.
The BYU Cougars are averaging 75.8 points on 44 percent shooting and allowing 68 points on 41.8 percent shooting. Rudi Williams is averaging 12.9 points and 2.6 rebounds, while Fousseyni Traore is averaging 12.6 points and 1.4 assists. Gideon George is the third double-digit scorer and Spencer Johnson is dishing 1.4 assists. The BYU Cougars are shooting 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 69.6 percent from the free throw line. The BYU Cougars are allowing 35 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 36.6 rebounds per game.
The Loyola Marymount Lions are averaging 77.2 points on 45.7 percent shooting and allowing 69.5 points on 42.8 percent shooting. Cam Shelton is averaging 18.6 points and 6.1 rebounds, while Keli Leaupepe is averaging 14.5 points and 7.1 rebounds. Jalin Anderson is dishing 2.9 assists and Chance Stephens is grabbing 1.4 rebounds. The Loyola Marymount Lions are shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc and 65.6 percent from the free throw line. The Loyola Marymount Lions are allowing 30.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 35.5 rebounds per game.
The Cougars are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 Thursday games and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Lions are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The under is 4-1 in Cougars last 5 overall. The over is 19-7 in Lions last 26 overall. The home team is 7-3-1 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
The BYU Cougars probably has the talent edge, but there hasn’t been much separation between these teams. The Loyola Marymount Lions have more than held their own this season, and they can get after it defensively. Expect a packed house for Loyola Marymount, and this is a team that wins at home by an average of 16.3 points while holding teams under 40 percent shooting. I’ll go ahead and grab the free bucket.
