An intriguing game on Thursday’s Thanksgiving college basketball slate pits No. 9 BYU against Miami. Both teams have one loss this season entering this game. This game is a first-round matchup in the Magic Bracket at Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational. This is a neutral site game, but it is taking place in Kissimmee, Florida, at the State Farm Field House.
After losing their first top-25 matchup of the season against UConn, BYU beat No. 23 Wisconsin by 28 points in their previous contest. On DraftKings Sportsbook, BYU is an 8.5-point favorite, with the game’s over/under set at 164.5 points. Here is my best bet for tonight’s matchup between BYU vs. Miami.
BYU vs. Miami (5:00 p.m. ET)
Before he entered college basketball, AJ Dybantsa had tremendous hype surrounding him, and he has proved, through five games, why he was a top prospect. He is averaging 19.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest on 54.8 shooting from the field and 38.5 on three-pointers. He is shooting only 74.3 percent from the free-throw line, but is attempting 7 per game.
But BYU has a ton of talent around Dybantsa, ranking fifth in KenPom’s offensive ratings. Dybantsa isn’t their leading scorer; senior guard Richie Saunders is averaging 20.8 points per game on 40 percent from deep. Transfer guard Robert Wright III from Baylor is also having an excellent season, recording 16.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per contest, all increases from last season.
Miami brought in two highly talented veterans this offseason, Malik Reneau and Tre Donaldson, who have led the Hurricanes this season. Their toughest game so far was against No. 10 Florida, which they lost to by 14 points. Three of BYU’s four victories this season have been by at least 10 points. Miami has had a good start to the season, but the Cougars will be hard to compete with as they have an elite trio of Dybantsa, Saunders, and Wright.
