Tonight at 7:00 p.m. ET, the Kansas State Wildcats face the BYU Cougars in the first round of the Big 12 men’s basketball tournament. BYU is the 10th seed while Kansas State is the 15th seed in the bracket. The winner of this matchup faces No. 7, the West Virginia Mountaineers, tomorrow. BYU beat Kansas State 83-73 in their first contest of the season on January 3.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, BYU is the favorite at -10.5 with the over/under being 167.5 points. Check out my best bet for tonight’s college basketball matchup between Kansas State and BYU.
Kansas State vs. BYU (7:00 p.m. ET)
Since losing Richie Saunders on February 14, they have gone 2-4 in their final six regular-season games. BYU is coming off a victory over Texas Tech, with Robert Wright III leading the way with 27 points. With Saunders out, BYU has relied on AJ Dybantsa and Wright even more often than before. Dybantsa had a phenomenal freshman season, averaging 24.7 points (most in the country) and 6.7 rebounds per contest.
Kansas State has gone 12-19 this season and finished 3-15 in the Big 12. In 2026, the Wildcats have gone 3-15 in their previous 18 contests. Kansas State lost by 19 points to Kansas in its last game of the regular season. A big reason for their disappointing season has been their poor defense. Kansas State allows 81.1 points per game to opponents, which is the second most in the conference. On KenPom, the Wildcats are 101st overall, with 110th offensive and 104th defensive ratings. BYU is No. 25 with the 11th-best offensive rating and 68th defensive rating. The Cougars allow 75.8 points per game while scoring 84.3 (second-most in the Big 12).
P.J. Haggerty leads Kansas State in scoring with 23.3 points per game, with Abdi Bashir Jr. and Nate Johnson also being consistent contributors. But they have lacked depth and consistency beyond their top three players this season. Kansas State has scored 72 or fewer points in nine of their previoud 12 contests. When taking on a high-level offense like BYU’s, the Wildcats will have a hard time keeping up for 40 minutes. With two of Kansas State’s last three losses coming by nine points, it is best to get BYU -8.5 at -160 on an alternate line. BYU is coming off a terrific victory over a top-10 team and is in a good position to continue its winning streak with a big victory over the Wildcats.
