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The No. 6 seed BYU Cougars (25-9) and the No. 3 seed Wisconsin Badgers (27-9) meet Saturday at Ball Arena in Denver in an NCAA Tournament East Region second-round Game. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 7:45 p.m. ET (CBS). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the BYU vs. Wisconsin odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
BYU was impressive in an 80-71 first-round win over VCU Thursday, covering as a 2.5-point favorite, while the Over (148.5) hit.
G Richie Saunders led the way with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while BYU was an efficient 50.0% (27 of 54) from the field. F Fousseyni Traore came off the bench for 13 points and 9 rebounds in just 19 minutes. If there was a problem area, the Cougars turned it over 12 times, and it was just 67.9% (19 of 28) from the free-throw stripe.
BYU has won 10 of its past 11 games since Feb. 11, going 9-2 ATS. The only loss came in the Big 12 Tournament against No. 1 seed Houston March 14. The Over is 4-1 in the past 5 games and 11-3-1 over the past 15 outings.
Wisconsin spanked Big Sky champion Montana 85-66, covering as a 16.5-point favorite, while the Under (152.5) hit Thursday. The Badgers dominated from the floor, hitting 55.4% (31 of 56) from the field, and held a plus-11 rebound advantage.
Badgers G John Blackwell led the way with 19 points, while F Steven Crowl chipped in 18 points, including 2 triples. Leading scorer G John Tonje didn’t have his best game, hitting just 2 of 5 from the field, but he got to the free-throw line 9 times, sinking all attempts, and finished with 15 points.
The last time these teams met was Nov. 26, 2011, a 73-56 win by the Badgers in a neutral-floor game at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
– Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll
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BYU vs. Wisconsin odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 6:13 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): BYU -102 (bet $102 to win $100) | Wisconsin -118 (bet $118 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): BYU +1.5 (-118) | Wisconsin -1.5 (-102)
- Over/Under (O/U): 154.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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BYU vs. Wisconsin picks and predictions
Prediction
Wisconsin 79, BYU 74
Moneyline
There’s no sense in backing Wisconsin (-118) and paying extra. When favorites are laying a small number of points, AVOID the moneyline and look to the spread instead for better value.
Against the spread
WISCONSIN -1.5 (-102) offers much better value at near even money, rather than paying extra juice. Unless you’re absolutely convinced the Badgers will win, but only by a single point, backing the moneyline doesn’t make sense.
BYU was fierce in the opening game against VCU, so this won’t be easy for the Big Ten Tournament runner-up, but Tonje wasn’t terribly involved for the Badgers in the opener, and they were still able to advance. Look for the team’s leading scorer to be front and center, with a much better performance against the Cougars.
Over/Under
UNDER 154.5 (-105) is a rather high number. Go low, but don’t get carried away.
Wisconsin cashed low against Montana, just barely, as the teams combined for 151 points with a total of 152.5. The Under is 5-3 across the past 8 games for the Badgers.
For BYU, the Over has been dominant lately, going 4-1 in the past 5 games and 10-3 in the past 13 outings.
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