We’ve got a spectacular Saturday night college hoops matchup, featuring a Top-10 showdown between No. 7 BYU and No. 3 UConn at TD Garden in Boston. While this is a neutral floor, both teams have strong ties to the New England area. UConn should get a strong fan base in Boston, while BYU’s freshman phenom, AJ Dybantsa, is from the Boston area, and should attract his own crowd.
Let’s breakdown a college basketball pick for BYU vs. UConn.
BYU vs. UCONN (Saturday – 7:00 p.m. ET)
Despite the “neutral” floor here, no matter how many family and friends Dybantsa is able to get into TD Garden on Saturday night, this is still going to be a pro-Huskies crowd. Not only will the cheering be louder for UConn, but the quick bus ride to Boston is also and advantage over the cross country flight that the Cougars will be on to get to this game.
The one advantage BYU does have early in the season here is that it has at least tested itself already on a neutral floor against quality competition. This will be the second time the Cougars play against the Big East this season, having faced Villanova in Las Vegas on November 3. While BYU got the win, showing flashes of how explosive the offense can be at times, it also trailed late in the game to a significantly less talented Wildcats roster.
BYU will get out and create some exiting scoring chances in transition, as well as create some open looks from downtown. But you’ll also see the Cougars struggle to defend, which I expect to create some advantages for the Huskies. Both teams can put the ball in the hoop — KenPom ranks UConn 4th in offensive efficiency and BYU 7th. However, BYU ranks just 53rd in the country in defensive efficiency, while the Huskies lock in on that side of the ball, where they rank 12th.
Robert Wright, Richie Saunders and Keba Keita round out a solid lineup around Dybantsa, but UConn comes with plenty of experience and depth. The Huskies are led by talented veterans of the likes of Alex Karaban, Solo Ball, Tarris Reed, Silas Demary and Malachi Smith, but also go about nine deep and incorporate some young size and talent.
I trust Dan Hurley and his veteran squad more here on Saturday night in Boston, particularly on the defensive side of the ball and on the glass. While Dybantsa has shown up under the bright lights so far, he’s going to have a lot of pressure on him to put on a show in this game. I could see the freshman trying to do a bit too much at times, and wind up hurting his team at times. Give me a balanced effort from UConn to pull away in front of a home crowd at TD Garden.
College Basketball Pick: UCONN -3.5 (-110)
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