Utah Valley vs BYU 12/1/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The 12^th ranked BYU Cougars will travel to the UCCU Center to take on the Utah Valley Wolverines this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The 12^th ranked BYU Cougars improved to 6-0 on the season after defeating the Utah Utes, 75-64, this past Saturday night. BYU trailed by a 29-27 margin at halftime, however, the BYU offense was outstanding in the 2^nd half and the Cougars were able to pull away after taking a 57-46 lead with 7:50 left in regulation. BYU shot 45.5% from the field & 16.7% from beyond the arc while allowing Utah to shoot 42.1% from the field & 26.1% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cougars was Alex Barcello who had 17 points, 4 rebounds, & 5 assists.

On the season, BYU is averaging 78.2 ppg on 47.4% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 6.5 three-pointers per game on 30.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, BYU has been led by Alex Barcello (18.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.0 spg), Te’Jon Lucas (11.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.5 apg), Gavin Baxter (8.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg), & Caleb Lohner (7.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.0 apg).

Defensively, BYU is holding their opponents to an average of 59.5 ppg on 39.4% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 11.3.

The Utah Valley Wolverines won their 6^th straight game and improved to 6-1 on the season after defeating the Denver Pioneers, 77-68 (OT), this past Saturday. Utah Valley fought back from a 50-43 deficit midway through the 2^nd half to force OT and had no trouble pulling away after taking a 75-68 lead with 1:46 left in OT. Utah Valley shot 54.2% from the field & 16.7% from beyond the arc while holding Denver to 44.8% shooting from the field & 40.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Wolverines was Fardaws Aimaq who had a double-double with 19 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, & 3 blocks.

On the season, Utah Valley is averaging 77.4 ppg on 49.0% shooting from the field. The Wolverines are averaging 6.1 three-pointers per game on 36.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Utah Valley has been led by Fardaws Aimaq (20.3 ppg, 133.7 rpg, 1.1 apg, 1.3 bpg), Connor Harding (11.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.1 apg), Justin Harmon (10.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.1 spg), & Blaze Nield (9.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.4 spg).

Defensively, Utah Valley is allowing their opponents to average 64.6 ppg on 39.8% shooting from the field. The Wolverines have a rebound margin of 10.9 and a turnover margin of -3.1.

The Cougars are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win and 21-7-1 ATS in their last 29 road games. The Wolverines are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS loss & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.

Utah Valley is a solid team and certainly will bring their best against BYU, however, this is still a team that lost by 20 points to Boise State to start the season and just don’t have the depth to matchup with a talented Cougars team. BYU has been solid on both ends of the court this season as they ranked 34^th in FG%, 84^th in defensive FG%, & t-18^th in rebound margin and as I think BYU will pull away in the 2^nd half and win this one by about 17-20 points, I’m taking BYU to cover. Good Luck!