The Denver Pioneers take on the BYU Cougars. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Denver BYU prediction and pick. Find how to watch Denver BYU.

The BYU Cougars finally lost a game this season, and that first loss came against an opponent the Cougars desperately did not want to lose to. Losing any game isn't fun, but BYU lost to its in-state rival, the Utah Utes. Utah is a rapidly improving team under coach Craig Smith, and the Utes were able to fend off BYU in Salt Lake City, 73-69. BYU has a potent, up-tempo, run-and-gun offense under coach Mark Pope. The Cougars love to shoot the 3-point shot and get a high volume of shots in the air, an approach in line with modern basketball analytics as developed by the Steve Kerr-coached Golden State Warriors. Utah did a tremendous job to hold BYU under 70 points. Not a lot of teams are going to be able to do that over the course of the season, but the Utes did. BYU knows it played very poorly at that end of the floor and was not able to physically dominate Utah. BYU will want to shrug off that loss, bounce back, and play a solid game at home against the Denver Pioneers.

The Pios have had a solid season through their first 10 games, going 6-4. Denver has never made the NCAA Tournament, so this is a program without a history of success. It is hard to win big at this school. Progress is measured differently in Denver compared to BYU and other much more successful basketball programs. Going 6-4 in a 10-game stretch is a good result for the Pios, who recently gave Colorado State a good battle before losing 90-80 on the road. Denver won its previous four games, including road wins over Idaho and Texas A&M Commerce. A team which played a competitive game against Colorado State can realistically expect to play a competitive game at BYU.

Here are the Denver-BYU College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Denver-BYU Odds

Denver Pioneers: +26.5 (-110)

BYU Cougars: -26.5 (-110)

Over: 157.5 (-115)

Under: 157.5 (-105)

How To Watch Denver vs BYU

Time: 9:00 pm ET / 6:00 pm PT

TV: ESPN Plus

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Denver Could Cover the Spread

The Pioneers' competitive game against Colorado State on the road — losing by only 10 to a team which has been nationally ranked this seaon — is a strong indicator that this spread has been set way too high at 26.5 points. Denver, if it plays BYU the same way it played Colorado State, should cover this spread comfortably. The Pioneers have multiple road wins on their schedule and are confident away from home. BYU, having just lost to Utah, might be a little depressed and deflated in this game. It could be a hangover moment for the Cougars. Meanwhile, Denver will be highly motivated to play another prominent Western program. Many aspects of this game line up in favor of the Pios.

Why BYU Could Cover the Spread

The BYU team seen against Utah was punched in the mouth by the Utes' physical style of play. BYU won't meet such physical resistance against Denver. The Cougars should be able to do whatever they want on offense, and that's when they can score a ton of points. BYU should be able to score at least 90 in this game if not 100. If the Cougars do score 105 points, they probably will cover the large spread.

Final Denver-BYU Prediction & Pick

The BYU offense will score a lot. Whether it scores 105 points is less certain. Stay away from this game and wait for a live-betting angle.

Final Denver-BYU Prediction & Pick: BYU -26.5