BYU Cougars (13-7) vs Pepperdine Waves (7-11)
Game Info: Saturday, January 14, 2023 at 9:00 pm (Marriott Center)
Betting Odds: BYU Cougars -- Over/Under: Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Pepperdine Waves and BYU Cougars face off on Saturday in a college basketball showdown at the Marriott Center. When these two teams faced off last February it was BYU that secured the 75-59 victory.
Pepperdine comes into this game with a 7-11 record overall and they are coming off another loss in the last game. The offense put up 89 points against San Diego, but that wasn’t enough as the defense gave up 92 points. Mike Mitchell Jr had a strong game finishing with 21 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Pepperdine is averaging 78.9 points while their defense is giving up 78.1 points per game. This offense is elite, but the defense has been a major issue and is ranked 348th. Maxwell Lewis is averaging 20.1 points while shooting 51.7 percent from the field.
On the other side of this matchup is BYU who sits with a 13-7 record but they are coming off a very disappointing loss. BYU played well in the second half against Gonzaga, but they struggled in the last couple of minutes and ended up losing by a point. Spencer Johnson had a strong game finishing with 18 points and six rebounds. BYU is averaging 74.5 points while their defense is giving up 67.2 points per game. Fousseyni Traore is averaging 12.8 points while shooting 60.1 percent from the field.
BYU is 5-1 against the spread in their last six home games. The under is 6-0 in BYU’s last six games. The over is 5-0 in Pepperdine’s last five road games. Pepperdine is 0-5 against the spread in their last 5 road games against a team with a winning home record.
This Pepperdine team wants to play as fast as possible and that is going to continue again here. Pepperdine is averaging 79.8 points but their defense is giving up 78.1 points. I expect BYU is also going to run up the score here, and that is going to be the difference as this game goes well over the total. I would also buy this total up a few points just for added value.