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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a BYU-Colorado prediction and pick. Find out how to watch BYU-Colorado.
The Tuesday slate in college basketball has a large bunch of games at 7 p.m. Eastern, a smaller cluster of games at 9 p.m. Eastern, and then three late games at 11 Eastern. This is one of the three. It's a new conference matchup which actually feels right in terms of geography. A lot of new conference matchups, such as Washington versus Rutgers in the Big Ten or Stanford versus Clemson in the ACC, feel completely wrong. BYU versus Colorado? This is totally different. It seems natural and logical that these two schools should compete against each other in the same conference. Colorado's move back to the Big 12, a few years after BYU migrated to the conference, sets up what should be an interesting and contentious Mountain time zone matchup for the near future.
This specific game, however, lacks the spice and buzz some people might have expected it to contain before the season began.
BYU and Colorado both made the NCAA Tournament last year. BYU lost as a higher seed. Colorado scored a first-round NCAA Tournament win before losing in the Round of 32. Both programs entered this college basketball season with momentum, but neither have managed to carry that momentum forward.
BYU is 2-4 in the Big 12 and 11-6 overall. The Cougars do not look like a tournament team, and they just lost a painful game to Utah. Their only two wins in Big 12 play are at home against Arizona State and Oklahoma State, both teams in the lower half of the conference. BYU's offense gets stuck far too many times. The Cougars do not shoot as well as they need to, and they simply don't fit the profile of an especially efficient team which maximizes its possessions. BYU has to increase its offensive efficiency in order to put the pieces together.
The Cougars must win this game if they want to make the NCAA Tournament. It's not because beating Colorado would be a quality win; anything but. It's because losing to CU would be an absolute disaster for BYU. Colorado is 0-6 in the Big 12, hovering near the .500 mark for the full season. BYU would not be in the NCAA Tournament today if the selection show was held right now. BYU has to move upward relative to the rest of the bubble. Losing to Colorado would create a big downward fall for the Cougars in the various metrics.
Colorado did play a close game against Iowa State several weeks ago. Colorado beat UConn in Hawaii in nonconference play in late November. Where did that team go? It's really puzzling that Colorado could deliver a few really good, strong performances against elite opponents but then not show up against the middle and lower tiers of the Big 12. Losing by 20 to Arizona State and 10 to Oklahoma State is just not acceptable, and coach Tad Boyle has to find a way to get through to his team so that the Buffaloes don't continue to crater.
Here are the BYU-Colorado College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: BYU-Colorado Odds
BYU: -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -196
Colorado: +4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +152
Over: 145.5 (-115)
Under: 145.5 (-105)
How to Watch BYU vs Colorado
Time: 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT
TV: ESPNU
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why BYU Will Cover The Spread/Win
Colorado is simply an atrocious basketball team. Every opponent gets healthy against the Buffs in Big 12 play. There's no reason BYU won't join the club.
Why Colorado Will Cover The Spread/Win
Colorado pushed Iowa State hard. It lost by one point at UCF. It gave West Virginia, a good team, a full 40-minute battle. This team has been really close to winning Big 12 games. It's not as bad as you might think it is.
Final BYU-Colorado Prediction & Pick
Neither one of these teams deserves your betting money. These teams can't be trusted. Don't bet on struggling teams. Pass.
Final BYU-Colorado Prediction & Pick: BYU -4.5
