The newly ranked No. 20 Arizona Wildcats will travel to Provo, UT to take on the BYU Cougars, each sporting a four game-winning streak. After beginning conference play 2-4, the Cougars have put themselves in a tie for sixth-place in the Big 12, with the arrow pointing up. Something will have to give.
Our Arizona vs. BYU prediction looks at the spread, total, and money line bets — including a couple player props that stick out. Will Caleb Love and the Wildcats storm out with a win or will the Cougars’ Richie Saunders lead the way to a BYU victory?
Arizona vs. BYU Betting Preview
All Arizona vs. BYU odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
- Spread
BYU -3 - CSN Spread
BYU -1 - Moneyline
BYU -142, Arizona +120 - Over/Under
152.5 points - Game Time
Tuesday, Feb. 4, 11 ET - Location
Marriott Center | Provo, UT - How To Watch
ESPN
Arizona is 12-9 ATS on the season, including 7-4 in conference play. A key stat: with 2-3 days off, they’ve covered six of eight outings. They last played on Feb. 1, giving them two full days off.
Their over/under record is 7-4 in the Big Ten and 12-9 across the whole season. Five of their last seven contests have gone over the listed point total, as well as each of their last two games going over the listed point total of 152.5.
BYU is on a hot streak in terms of covering — of their last four games, all as the favorite, they’ve covered all of them. They’re 12-9 against the spread overall, covering six of 10 Big 12 conference games.
The Cougars’ track record of totals is tougher to decipher. On the season, 47.6% of their matchups have gone over. They’re an even 3-3 in their last six games regarding the total.
Arizona vs. BYU CSN Power Rankings Line
Our metrics system has BYU favored ever-so-slightly at -1. The Wildcats are slotted at No. 13 in our power rankings, while the Cougars are close behind at No. 15 — meaning home court advantage is what’s giving the nod to BYU.
The sports books give a slightly higher edge to the home team, favoring them by -3. The value is pointing towards the Wildcats, but only by a couple points.
Prediction for Arizona vs. BYU
Fresh off a cross-country trip to visit the UCF Knights in Orlando, FL, the Cougars will host the Wildcats. It’s an extremely intriguing matchup, with both teams coming in on four-game winning streaks.
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BYU started the conference season 2-4 before righting the ship, which coincided with forward Richie Saunders’ emergence as a scorer. Across the whole season, he’s averaging 15.4 points per game — but in his last four, he’s poured 85 points, an increase of nearly six points per game.
The Cougars are a team to watch come March due to their balance; freshman point guard Egor Demin sets the table, averaging 5.9 assists per game while the muscly big-man Keba Keita holds it down in the middle. Senior guard Trevin Knell spaces the floor, averaging 10.3 ppg on 44.4% shooting from three-point range.
Arizona is equally as balanced. Love is the catalyst, scoring 16.2 ppg but is aided by fellow guard Jaden Bradley who averages a near 11, 4, and 4 stat-line. They do face a void down low with the season-ending foot injury to center Motiejus Krivas, but considering they’re tied for first in the conference, it hasn’t been a huge issue as of late.
The night-cap on a terrific Tuesday night of college hoops, this game will be worth staying awake for.
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Both teams score over 80 points a night, and this game will be no different. They’ll smash the over of 152.5; my expectation is that they’ll push the 160 range and potentially above.
I also like the pairing of both Richie Saunders and Caleb Love’s points prop. Saunders to score 18+ is at -110 — he’s gone over that in three of his last four, scoring 17 points the only time he failed to reach that mark.
Take away a game against the slow-paced Colorado Buffaloes and Love is averaging 25.3 points per game in his last three outings. His odds to reach that mark are a surprising +400. That’s extremely good value.
This game is too tough to pick spread or money line wise — instead, sit back and watch a high-scoring game between two teams on fire as of late.
Prediction: Arizona 84, BYU 82
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