BYU Cougars vs Pepperdine Waves Prediction, 12/31/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: BYU Cougars vs Pepperdine Waves

Date: Thursday, December 31, 2020

Location: Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, CA

TV: ESPNU

Odds/Point Spread: BYU (-6.5)

Firestone Fieldhouse is the site where and the Pepperdine Waves (4-5) will take on the BYU Cougars (9-2) on Thursday. BYU opens this game as 6.5-point favorites. The over/under has been set at 151.

BYU heads into this contest with a record of 9-2 so far this season. The Cougars are hitting 36.1% on three-point shots (104 of 288) and 67.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 78.9 pts per contest (82nd in the country) while shooting 47.8% from the floor. They are giving up possession 14.4 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 18.6 fouls per contest. As a unit, BYU is grabbing 39.3 rebounds per game and is sitting with 203 dimes on the campaign, which has them ranked 2nd in the country in terms of passing the ball. When they are on the defensive end, the Cougars are forcing 13.9 turnovers per game while drawing 19.5 fouls. They concede 33.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 124th in college basketball in points per game allowed (67.4). The Cougars defense is allowing a FG percentage of 40.5% (265 of 654) and they relinquish 34.8 rebounds per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 292nd in college basketball in giving up assists with 127 surrendered for the season.

The BYU Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against the Weber State Wildcats and notched a win by a score of 87-79 in their last game. BYU walked away from the contest with a 51.5% field goal percentage (34 out of 66) and buried 6 of their 22 3-point shots. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Cougars made 13 of their 21 attempts for a rate of 61.9%. Pertaining to hauling in boards, they collected 37 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 21 assists in this contest in addition to earning 5 steals and 2 blocked shots. Concerning defending, BYU let their opponent shoot 51.5% from the floor on 34 out of 66 shooting. Weber State recorded 10 dimes and had 2 steals for this contest. Moreover, the Wildcats pulled down 29 boards (5 offensive, 24 defensive) and had 2 blocked shots. Weber State shot 64.7% when shooting free throws by making 11 of 17 attempts. They made 10 of 29 attempts from 3-point range.

Matt Haarms is one player who was a major factor for the contest. He accounted for 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting. He played for 20 minutes and totaled 5 boards. Haarms went 66.7% from the floor and earned 2 dimes. One more player that was a major factor in this matchup for the Cougars was Brandon Averette. He collected 5 boards and also tallied 7 assists. He finished the contest at 35.7% from the floor for the matchup by going 5-of-14 (13 points). When this game wrapped up, Averette was on the court for 34 minutes.

Pepperdine has a win-loss record of 4-5 for the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Waves are hitting on 47.1% from the field, which is ranked 105th in the country. Pepperdine has earned 701 pts on the campaign (77.9 per game) and they grab 34.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 17.6 times per contest (39th in college hoops) and they are turning it over 13.7 times per contest. The Waves are responsible for committing 19.0 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 81.4% from the charity stripe. The Waves on the defensive side of the court are 243rd in college basketball in PPG given up with 73.6. The Pepperdine defense concedes 26.9% on shots from beyond the arc (53 of 197) and opponents are making 69.3% of their foul shots. They relinquish 14.3 dimes and 36.4 total rebounds per game, which ranks 248th and 219th in the nation. They are forcing their opponents into 13.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 42.5% from the field (182nd in college hoops).

When they last stepped on the court, the Pepperdine Waves took a loss by a final score of 79-51 against the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners. The Waves were able to snag 14 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards totaling 21 for this game. They rejected 6 tries while getting 6 steals for the matchup. The Roadrunners were called for 20 fouls in this game which got the Waves to the free throw line for a total of 28 attempts. They were able to bury 17 of them for a percentage of 60.7%. In the matter of shots from distance, Pepperdine knocked down 4 out of their 18 attempts (22.2%). When the final whistle was blown, the Waves shot 15 for 45 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 33.3%. The Waves permitted the Roadrunners to knock down 34 out of 66 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.5% for the contest. They shot 40.0% from downtown by shooting 6 of 15 and ended up going 5 of 8 at the free throw line (62.5%). When it comes to cleaning the glass, Pepperdine permitted CSU Bakersfield to collect 42 overall (17 offensive).

Sedrick Altman ended up being a major contributor for the Waves in the matchup. He knocked down 5 of 8 in the matchup for a rate of 62.5%, which earned him 11 points. Altman pulled down 5 rebounds in his 30 minutes played and accumulated 2 assists for the matchup. An additional guy that played a role for Pepperdine was Colbey Ross. He notched 10 points in 37 minutes played by going 2 out of 7 from the floor for this game. Ross walked away from this one going 28.6% from the field and also totaling 4 dimes and 3 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take BYU (-6.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here