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The LMU Lions take on the BYU Cougars. Check out our college basketball odds series for our LMU BYU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch LMU BYU.
The BYU Cougars have had a lost season in the West Coast Conference. They lost on the road against San Francisco. They lost on the road against Santa Clara. They lost a late lead at home to Gonzaga. One game after another, BYU has allowed close contests to slip away in the final minutes. It happened again this past Saturday in the Cougars’ most recent game. BYU rallied to take a late lead against Saint Mary’s, but a few missed free throws at crunch time left the door open for the Gaels, who scored in the final seconds for a one-point win over the frustrated Cougars, who know that the only way they can make the NCAA Tournament at this point is to win the WCC Tournament in early March in Las Vegas.
BYU lost to Loyola Marymount earlier this season, so the Cougars will try to get revenge and split the regular-season series between the two schools.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the LMU-BYU College Basketball odds:
College Basketball Odds: LMU-BYU Odds
LMU Lions: +4.5 (-106)
BYU Cougars: -4.5 (-114)
Over: 143.5 (-110)
Under: 143.5 (-110)
How To Watch LMU vs. BYU
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: CBSSports.com
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT
*Watch LMU-BYU LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why LMU Could Cover the Spread
This team is hard to write off due to one seismic event a few weeks ago. Remember: LMU defeated Gonzaga on the road, snapping the Zags’ 75-game home-court winning streak. That result also stopped a streak of Gonzaga wins against non-BYU, non-Saint Mary’s opponents within the West Coast Conference. That streak lasted for nine years, since 2014. Gonzaga also had a streak of over 90 consecutive wins versus unranked opponents. That streak ended with LMU’s victory in The Kennel in Spokane. If LMU is good enough to pull off one of the biggest and most memorable upsets of the college basketball season in a road game, it can certainly go to Provo and beat a BYU team which has plainly struggled to finish off games against equally-talented or slightly better opponents. It can reasonably be viewed as a chronic problem for the Cougars, who keep playing close games and keep faltering in the final minutes. If this is a close game, that means LMU is likely to cover. A four-point loss for the Lions would cover the spread.
Why BYU Could Cover the Spread
The Cougars’ frustrations over their inability to win close games have not prevented them from playing hard. One setback after another, BYU keeps coming back onto the court and — while not winning — playing with passion and intensity. It’s not as though this team has quit at any point during the season. It’s not as though BYU has lost faith. It’s not a question of desire or effort. BYU is regularly putting forth an energetic, vigorous performance. It’s just that the late-game execution and shotmaking aren’t there. If BYU keeps playing with good effort, the shots will eventually fall. The pieces will eventually come together. BYU will beat a decent team by 10 points and we’ll see that the Cougars still have the potential to improve over the final month of the season.
The other thing to point out here is that LMU now has a target on its back as a result of winning at Gonzaga. This is a good motivational angle for BYU, beating the team which stunned the Zags.
Final LMU-BYU Prediction & Pick
Stay away from this game. BYU might be ready to pack it in for the season, but it could just as easily come out of the gates roaring against an LMU team which is capable of beating Gonzaga but which is nowhere near the bubble for the NCAA Tournament. Take a pass on this one.
Final LMU-BYU Prediction & Pick: BYU -4.5