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The No. 21 BYU Cougars (23-10) battle the Duquesne Dukes (24-11) in the 1st round of the East Region Thursday from CHI Health Center Omaha. Tip is set for 12:40 p.m. ET (truTV). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Duquesne vs. BYU odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
BYU is No. 21 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. The Cougars lost to the No. 22 Texas Tech Red Raiders 81-67 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament on March 14, failing to cover as a 3.5-point favorite. They have won 4 of their last 6 games and are 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in that span. The Cougars ended the season 19-12 ATS.
The Dukes earned the automatic bid from the Atlantic 10 Conference, beating the VCU Rams 57-51 and covering as a 1-point underdog. Duquesne won 4 straight games in the A-10 Tournament, covering in each and being an underdog twice. It finished the regular season 14-16 ATS yet has covered in 7 of its last 8 games.
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Duquesne vs. BYU odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 2:14 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Duquesne +400 (bet $100 to win $400) | BYU -550 (bet $550 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Duquesne +9.5 (-110) | BYU -9.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 142.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Duquesne vs. BYU picks and predictions
Prediction
BYU 76, Duquesne 62
Moneyline
PASS.
The Cougars are the better side, but they certainly aren’t worth a play at -550. There’s no value in betting them to win outright.
Against the spread
BET BYU -9.5 (-110).
The Cougars are an underrated team and competed in one of the best conferences in the nation. They rank 11th in adjusted offensive rating and 48th in adjusted defensive rating per Kenpom. Only half of the teams that sit between 11 and 20 can say they rank top 50 in both categories. BYU has covered in 4 of its last 5 games as a favorite as well.
For Duquesne, it has been able to make the tournament due to its defense, but its offense sits 166th in adjusted offensive rating and won’t be able to keep pace. The Dukes scored 65 or fewer in 2 of their 4 conference tournament wins. They have topped 70 in just 1 of their last 7 games.
Expect them to struggle against solid BYU defense. Take BYU -9.5 (-110).
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Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 142.5 (-115).
BYU sits 85th in adjusted tempo, so it doesn’t necessarily play fast while Duquesne is one of the slowest teams in the nation. The Dukes rank 251 in adjusted tempo. They went 8-21-1 O/U during the regular season and 1-3 O/U in their conference tournament.
BYU has gone Under in 4 of its last 8 games and was 15-16 O/U during the regular season. With those trends in mind, take UNDER 142.5 (-110).
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