The No. 10 BYU Cougars (10-1) and Abilene Christian Wildcats (7-4) are set to face off Friday night, going head-to-head in Provo, Utah. The nonconference showdown will tip off at 9:30 p.m. EST on TNT and truTV.
The Cougars are 32.5-point favorites at home, and the total has been set at 144.5 points. Here is a preview of the Big 12 vs. WAC matchup featuring odds and lines from DraftKings Sportsbook.
BYU vs. Abilene Christian Preview, Prediction
BYU Preview
After beating Villanova by five in their season opener in Las Vegas, the Cougars notched a pair of comfortable home wins over Holy Cross and Delaware. BYU then played six consecutive neutral site contests in Boston, Salt Lake City, Orlando and New York City. Following a two-point loss to then-No. 3 UConn, the Cougars have won seven straight. They beat Dayton and Clemson by four and three points, respectively, all while dismantling then-No. 23 Wisconsin, Miami (FL) and a handful of mid-majors. BYU finally returned to Provo last week and has since beaten UC Riverside 100-53 and Pacific 93-57.
Star freshman AJ Dybantsa has lived up to the hype so far this year, averaging 21.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Richie Saunders is averaging 18.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game, while Robbie Wright III is putting up 16.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.8 steals a night. Both guards are shooting above 40% from three-point range. Then there’s starting center Keba Keita, who is averaging 7.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.4 steals per game despite measuring in at just 6-foot-7. Southern Illinois transfer Kennard Davis has also rejoined the starting five since serving a two-game suspension.
Only 11 teams across Division I turn the ball over less often than BYU. The Cougars rank No. 9 nationally when it comes to limiting fouls, too. They have also gotten extremely lucky, as their opponents rank dead-last with a 61.5% free-throw percentage so far this season.
BYU currently slots in at No. 8 in the KenPom ratings, boasting the No. 8 adjusted offense and No. 14 adjusted defense.
Abilene Christian Preview
The Wildcats got rolling this season by blowing out a pair of non-DI opponents in McMurry and Southwestern Adventist, sneaking by Omaha by two points in between those games. Abilene Christian proceeded to lose back-to-back road games to Stephen F. Austin and Texas State, plus their neutral site showdown with William & Mary. Still, the Wildcats bested UTSA, Pepperdine and New Mexico State before they met No. 1 Arizona on Tuesday and lost by 34.
Former JUCO forward Bradyn Hubbard has been the driving force for Abilene Christian’s offense with his 15.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, although he did come off the bench against Arizona. The Wildcats’ next-most effective scorer is guard Yaniel Rivera, who is averaging 9.8 points per game while shooting 39.1% from long distance. DII product Rich Smith leads ACU with 4.2 assists per game to go along with his 7.1 points per game. As for Mineral Area College transfer Joseph Scott, he is leading the way with 5.8 rebounds per game while scoring 7.0 points a night. The Wildcats have 11 players averaging double-digit minutes per game, and none averaging more than 26.2.
Abilene Christian’s opponents take the fewest shots per game in the country, although their 44.6% field goal percentage is above average. As a result of the lack of field goal attempts, the Wildcats are allowing their 11th-fewest offensive rebounds and 12th-fewest total rebounds on a per-game basis.
According to the latest KenPom ratings, Abilene Christian ranks No. 218 in adjusted net efficiency so far this season. Their offense ranks No. 285, while their defense comes in at No. 140. Among the other numbers to keep an eye on for the Wildcats are their 300th-ranked tempo and their No. 7 luck rating.
BYU vs. Abilene Christian Pick, Best Bet
Brette Tanner has had Abilene Christian run at a pretty glacial tempo this season, although certain teams have broken them out of that comfort zone. Arizona, for example, moves at a top-35 pace and forced them into a 158-point contest earlier this week. William & Mary ranks No. 4 in adjusted tempo and brought their combined point total against the Wildcats up to 150. When facing mid-tempo teams like BYU, however, Abilene Christian games have finished over 144.5 just once in six chances.
Abilene Christian is averaging 94.3 points per game in their three contests against non-DI teams, but 64.6 points per game against their other eight opponents. In road games, that figure drops to 62.0 points per game.
As for BYU, eight of their 11 games have cleared 144.5 total points, including all four of their home games and all four of their games against non-high majors. They are averaging 94.0 points per game at home this season, as well. Holy Cross, Delaware and Pacific have adjusted tempos similar to Abilene Christian’s, and the Cougars still ran up the score against each of them. Basically, coach Kevin Young has an adaptable system that can muck up showdowns with elite competition, then commit to running and gunning against an inferior opponent a few days later.
