BYU (8-2) vs Florida A&M (3-6)
Game Info: Friday, December 20, 2024 at 9:00 pm (Marriott Center)
The Line: Betting Odds: BYU -33.5 / Florida A&M +33.5 — Over/Under: 148.5
The Florida A&M Rattlers and the BYU Cougars meet Friday in college basketball action from Marriott Center. Here’s a Florida A&M vs BYU prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Florida A&M vs BYU pick. We will examine:
The Florida A&M Rattlers’ recent form and player performance
The BYU Cougars’ recent form and player performance
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Florida A&M Rattlers
Recent betting trends and streaks involving the BYU Cougars
Recent betting trends in games played between Florida A&M and BYU
A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Florida A&M vs BYU game
Florida A&M Rattlers Betting Preview
The Rattlers came out of the gate this year with a 0-4 skid featuring losses to TCU, SMU, Maryland, and Florida. Florida A&M has since gone 3-2 with wins over Trinity Baptist, Presbyterian, and Trinity FL in that time.
In their last outing versus Utah on Tuesday, the Rattlers were down 50-31 by halftime. Florida A&M was outscored 39-28 the rest of the way in an 89-59 loss. Leading team scorer Kaleb Washington came off the bench for 11 points in the defeat. Florida A&M will meet Tarleton State, Bethune-Cookman, Southern, and Grambling after this game.
BYU Cougars Betting Preview
Over on the BYU side, they beat Central Arkansas, UC Riverside, Queens, Idaho, and MS Valley State in their first five games. The Cougars are 3-2 in their last five as well, beating NC State, Fresno State, and Wyoming.
In the Wyoming matchup last weekend, the Cougars took a 34-25 edge into the locker room. BYU kept the pressure up in the second with 34 more points and cruised to a 68-49 victory. Tops in scoring was Trevin Knell with 15 points and a steal.
Why the BYU Cougars will win
- BYU has won each of its last 15 night games against non-conference opponents at Marriott Center.
- Florida A&M has lost each of its last 11 road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Florida A&M has lost the first half in each of its last nine road games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Florida A&M vs BYU Prediction
I’ll lean toward BYU here. The Cougars got past a middling Wyoming team pretty easily in their last game, shooting a smooth 52.2 percent from the field with a 30-25 rebounding edge. BYU didn’t necessarily blow the doors off the scoreboard, but they’ve done well offensively this year overall with 68 or more points in nine of 10 games.
As for Florida A&M, they of course weren’t going to keep pace with a pretty good Utah team in their last outing—and didn’t. The Rattlers posted just 37.7 percent shooting and 18 turnovers for 27 Utes points. Florida A&M has done pretty well against comparable teams in the last five games, but they’ll be hard-pressed to keep up with BYU—especially if the Cougars are playing to their capabilities here.