Published Feb 18, 4:41pm ET by
Gabriel Kozlow - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Feb 18, 4:41pm ET
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Updated Feb 18, 4:41pm ET
The Arizona Wildcats look to end their two-game rut when they host the BYU Cougars at McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats were previously unbeaten this season until they dropped two straight games in the past week.
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| ARIZONA WILDCATS | -11.5 (-105) |
| BYU COUGARS | +11.5 (-105) |
BYU Need Top Game from DybanstaThe BYU Cougars are 19–6 overall and 7–5 in the Big 12 Conference. This will be their second meeting this season against Arizona, after dropping the first game by a tight 83–86 score. This is the perfect moment to get payback against the Wildcats and take advantage of their recent slump in form.
Their star freshman, AJ Dybantsa, has been phenomenal, averaging 24.4 PPG while shooting 55% from the field. He’s been so good that he recently dropped 43 points against Utah and 36 against Baylor last month. He’ll need to put up similar numbers if BYU is going to give Arizona a run for their money.
Things have been a bit strange for Arizona lately, despite the fact that they are 23–2 this season. They recently dropped two important games against Big 12 rivals and lost their leading spot to Houston as well. Things should improve, though, as they are big favorites against BYU with an -11.5 spread.
Their defense will need to find a way to contain AJ Dybantsa, and they should be fine if they manage that. The Wildcats are holding opponents to just 68.6 PPG, while averaging 43.5 RPG and 17.8 APG. Another reason Arizona should be fine is that both of their recent losses were decided by a combined total of 7 points, with one of them coming in overtime.
We expect Arizona to win this game comfortably; they just need to get out of their own heads and focus on their past success. The Wildcats are -11.5 favorites on the spread with a 162.5 over/under. The moneyline is -900 for Arizona and +600 for BYU.
Our lean is toward Arizona in this matchup — we feel they will win comfortably and bury their recent skid. We recommend taking the Wildcats -11.5 on the spread.
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Pick
Arizona Wildcats -11.5
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