Colorado (9-8) vs BYU (11-6)
January 21, 2025 at 11:00 PM EST
The Line: Betting Odds: Colorado +3.5 — Over/Under: 145.5
The BYU Cougars and the Colorado Buffaloes meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Coors Events Center. Here’s a BYU vs Colorado prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best BYU vs Colorado pick. We will examine:
The BYU Cougars’ recent form and player performance
The Colorado Buffaloes’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the BYU Cougars
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Colorado Buffaloes
Recent betting trends in games played between BYU and Colorado
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the BYU vs Colorado game
BYU Cougars Betting Preview
BYU got off to a very solid start over their first dozen games, but since then the wins have been difficult to come by. The Cougars posted a 10-2 opening run with losses to only Ole Miss and Providence. Otherwise, it won over Central Arkansas, UC Riverside, Queens, Idaho, MS Valley State, NC State, Fresno State, Wyoming, Florida A&M, and Arizona State in that stretch. Since the turn of the new calendar year, however, BYU has gone just 1-4. The Cougars’ lone win came over Oklahoma State. Otherwise, it was losses to Houston, Texas Tech, TCU, and Utah in that time for an 11-6 overall record through their first 17 games of the season.
In the Utah matchup over the weekend, the Cougars entered the second half holding a 30-27 edge. BYU gave it up after the break however, eventually losing in overtime 73-72 during a tough result. Leading the starters in scoring was Richie Saunders with 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. The only other team player to finish in double-figures was Fousseyni Traore with 16 points, six rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes of work off the bench.
Colorado Buffaloes Betting Preview
Over on the Buffaloes’ side, their season was a solid one initially as well, but they’ve also had some difficulties since late December. Colorado lost to only Michigan State and Iowa State in their first 11 outings, beating Eastern Washington, Northern Colorado, Cal State Fullerton, Harvard, UConn, Pacific, Colorado State, South Dakota State, and Bellarmine otherwise during that time. The Buffaloes have hit the skids since then, taking losses in six straight outings. Those defeats have come versus Iowa State, Arizona State, UCF, West Virginia, Cincinnati, and Oklahoma State, leaving Colorado with a 9-8 overall record through their first 17 games.
Matched up against Oklahoma State on Saturday, the Buffaloes held a 43-33 deficit by halftime. Colorado kept the pace from there on a 40-40 run but ended up with an 83-73 loss, in the end, to keep their streak intact. The Buffaloes’ lead scorer was Bangot Day with 15 points and five rebounds with a pair of assists. Sebastian Rancik came off the bench for 11 points and three rebounds in 21 minutes of work, while Julian Hammond added 10 points with three steals and two assists in the defeat.
Why the Colorado Buffaloes will win
- Colorado has won 17 of its last 18 night games at CU Events Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- BYU has lost four of its last five games.
Why the BYU Cougars will win
- Colorado has lost each of its last seven games against Conference opponents.
- BYU has won each of its last five games following an overtime loss.
- Colorado has lost the first half in nine of its last 10 games against Conference opponents.
BYU vs Colorado Prediction
I’m going to stay with BYU. This should be a pretty interesting matchup though, as both teams desperately need a good showing in a win. The Cougars didn’t shoot great (38.5 percent) in their loss to Utah over the weekend, but they did stay competitive on the boards and had just eight turnovers. BYU has been giving up a lot of points lately though, with 69 or more in all five games during this current 1-4 stretch.
As for Colorado, they shot well (46.9 percent) in their Oklahoma State loss but also got outmuscled on the boards 36-23 and had 16 turnovers. The Buffaloes have been below 70 points in three of the six games during their losing streak while giving up 75 or more points in five of those. I’m not thrilled about Colorado’s chances at keeping pace here, but it should be a competitive matchup overall.