BYU Cougars vs Portland Pilots Prediction, 2/4/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: BYU Cougars vs Portland Pilots

Date: Thursday, February 4, 2021

Location: Chiles Center in Portland, OR

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: BYU (-21)

Chiles Center is the site where and the Portland Pilots (6-10) will play the BYU Cougars (14-4) on Thursday. BYU opens this matchup as 21-point favorites. The O/U is set at 144.5.

BYU comes into this one with a record of 14-4 so far this year. The Cougars are hitting 34.3% on 3-pointers (150 of 437) and 71.5% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 77.7 pts per game (61st in the nation) while hitting 47.2% from the field. They turn it over 13.6 times per game and as a unit they commit 17.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, BYU is grabbing 40.3 rebounds per game and has totaled 300 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 10th in the country in terms of passing the ball. On the defensive end of the court, the Cougars are forcing their opponents into 12.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.2 fouls. The Cougars defense is giving up an opponent FG percentage of 40.1% (441 of 1,099) and they surrender 34.2 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 224th in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 207 surrendered for the season. They concede 32.4% on 3-pointers and they rank 124th in college hoops in points per game allowed (68.1).

The BYU Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against the Pacific Tigers and walked away with a win by a score of 95-87 in their last game. BYU finished the game having earned a 50.0% field goal percentage (33 of 66) and made 11 of 29 3-point shots. At the free throw line, the Cougars buried 18 of their 28 attempts for a rate of 64.3%. With respect to rebounding, they earned 39 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 17 assists in the game as well as having 7 steals and 2 rejections. When it comes to defending, BYU allowed 50.0% from the floor on 33 of 66 shooting. Pacific earned 12 assists and had 6 steals for this game. Additionally, the Tigers pulled down 35 boards (12 offensive, 23 defensive) and got 2 blocked shots. Pacific finished 72.0% at the free throw line by making 18 of their 25 shots. They converted 9 of 24 attempts from beyond the perimeter.

Brandon Averette is a guy who was a factor in the matchup. He ended up with 24 points on 8 of 15 shooting. He played for 43 minutes and also collected 2 rebounds. Averette went 53.3% from the floor and dished out 5 assists. Another guy that was a contributor in the game for the Cougars was Alex Barcello. He grabbed 9 boards and also tallied 7 dimes. He finished the game shooting 63.6% from the floor for the game by connecting on 7-of-11 (23 points). Overall, Barcello played 44 min.

Portland has a mark of 6-10 for the year. The Pilots are responsible for committing 16.2 fouls every game and they hit 77.8% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 11.9 times per game (273rd in the country) and they turn the ball over 14.3 times per game. Portland has scored 1,128 pts so far this season (70.5 per game) and they pull in 30.8 rebounds per game. When it comes to offensive execution, the Pilots are hitting on 41.0% from the field, which ranks 308th in the nation. The Pilots defensively are ranked 336th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 80.8. They have surrendered 19.1 dimes and 39.0 total boards per game, which ranks them 343rd and 318th in the nation. The Portland defense allows 35.4% on three-point shots (151 of 427) and their opponents are connecting on 73.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are able to force 15.2 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 48.6% from the floor (336th in college basketball).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Portland Pilots walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 75-50 when they faced the Loyola Marymount Lions. The Pilots pulled down 12 defensive boards and 1 offensive boards for a total of 13 for this contest. They blocked 4 tries while recording 7 steals for the game. The Lions committed 10 fouls for this game which took the Pilots to the charity stripe for a total of 2 attempts. They were able to knock down 1 of them for a clip of 50.0%. With respect to three-point shots, Portland converted 7 of their 21 attempts (33.3%). When this game wrapped up, the Pilots walked away from this one shooting 21 out of 51 from the field which had them at 41.2%. The Pilots permitted the Lions to make 28 out of their 51 attempts from the field which left them shooting 54.9% for this game. They went 52.0% from beyond the arc by going 13 of 25 and ended up shooting 6 out of 9 at the free throw line (66.7%). In relation to rebounding, Portland permitted Loyola Marymount to collect 35 in all (9 on the offensive side).

Latrell Jones ended up being a factor for the Pilots for the contest. He knocked down 6 out of 9 in the matchup giving him a rate of 66.7%, which earned him 13 points. Jones pulled down 2 rebounds in his 30 minutes and had 3 dimes in this game. One more player that ended being a contributor for Portland was Eddie Davis. He was able to score 11 points in his 38 minutes on the court by going 4 of 9 from the floor in this game. Davis finished going 44.4% from the field while contributing 2 dimes and 3 total rebounds.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take BYU (-21)

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