BYU Cougars vs Colorado Buffaloes Prediction, 1/21/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: BYU Cougars vs Colorado Buffaloes

Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Location: CU Events Center in Boulder, CO

TV: ESPN+

The Colorado Buffaloes (9-8) will play the BYU Cougars (11-6) at CU Events Center on Tuesday.

The BYU Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against Utah and ended up losing by a score of 73-72 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Cougars ended up finishing with 26 while Utah accounted for 17 personal fouls. They buried 6 out of their 23 tries from downtown. Utah walked away from this one shooting 53.1% at the charity stripe by making 17 of 32 shots. Moreover, Utah pulled down 37 rebounds (6 offensive, 31 defensive), but didn't have a block. Utah doled out 14 assists and had 4 steals in this game. Concerning defense, BYU allowed the other team to go 44.6% from the field on 25 of 56 shooting. They also recorded 16 dimes for this contest while forcing 9 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In relation to rebounding, they compiled a total of 37 with 13 of them being offensive. From the charity stripe, the Cougars converted 4 of 10 attempts for a rate of 40.0%. BYU walked away from the game having earned a 38.5% field goal percentage (30 of 78) and knocked down 8 of their 30 shots from 3-point land.

Fousseyni Traore is a guy who was a major factor in this game. He scored 16 points on 8 out of 13 shooting. He saw the court for 23 minutes and collected 6 rebounds. He ended up going 61.5% from the field and recorded 2 assists.

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BYU heads into this game with a win-loss mark of 11-6 for the season. They turn it over 11.8 times per game and as a unit they commit 15.5 fouls per game. As a team, BYU is snagging 39.9 boards per game and is sitting with 292 assists so far this season, which ranks 78th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. The Cougars are hitting 35.4% on shots from distance (176 of 497) and 68.2% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 80.2 points per outing (63rd in the country) while connecting on 47.2% from the floor.

Defensively, the Cougars are forcing their opponents into 12.6 turnovers per contest while drawing 16.8 personal fouls. They are giving up 34.9% on shots from distance and they rank 61st in D-1 in points per game allowed (67.0). The Cougars defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 41.6% (395 of 949) and they surrender 30.4 rebounds per game as a unit. They are 93rd in the nation in giving up assists to the opposition with 216 relinquished for the campaign.

When they last stepped on the court, the Colorado Buffaloes went home defeated by a final of 83-73 when they played Oklahoma State. In reference to team rebounding, Colorado permitted Oklahoma State to collect 33 in total (11 on the offensive side). They finished 35.3% from beyond the perimeter by going 6 out of 17 and ended up shooting 31 out of 42 from the free throw line (73.8%). The Buffaloes allowed Oklahoma State to convert 23 out of their 50 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 46.0% in this matchup. When all was said and done, the Buffaloes ended up going 23 for 49 from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.9%. In the matter of shots from 3-point land, Colorado knocked down 5 out of 22 attempts (22.7%). They were able to bury 22 of the free throws for a rate of 88.0%. Oklahoma State committed 21 personal fouls for the game which took the Buffaloes to the charity stripe for 25 attempts. They coughed it up 14 times, while recording 12 steals in the game. The Buffaloes were able to snag 16 defensive boards and 2 offensive rebounds totaling 18 in the matchup.

Bangot Dak pitched in for the Buffaloes for the matchup. He buried 6 out of 8 for the contest for a rate of 75.0%, and had 5 rebounds. He earned 15 points in his 26 mins of playing time and had 2 assists for this contest.

Colorado has a record of 9-8 on the year. When it comes to offensive execution, the Buffaloes are hitting on 46.0% from the floor, which is ranked 128th in the nation. Colorado has totaled 1,253 points on the season (73.7 per contest) and they average 35.8 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 16.1 times per game (69th in the nation) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 15.1 times per contest. The Buffaloes are responsible for committing 16.6 fouls every game and they connect on 77.0% from the free throw line.

The Buffaloes on the defensive end are ranked 189th in college hoops in points given up per game with 71.5. They have forced 11.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.0% from the field (112th in college). The Colorado defense allows 32.5% from downtown (131 of 403) and opponents are making 73.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 11.9 dimes and 32.9 boards per contest, which ranks 86th and 96th in college.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Colorado

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