Evansville vs BYU Odds
| Evansville Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+24.5 -115 | 151.5 -110o / -110u | N/A |
| BYU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-24.5 -105 | 151.5 -110o / -110u | N/A |
Two of the most surprising teams in college basketball — the Evansville Purple Aces and BYU Cougars — set the stage for an entertaining evening matchup in Provo, Utah.
Here are the latest college basketball odds and a Evansville vs. BYU pick for Tuesday, Dec. 5.
Evansville Purple Aces
Coach David Ragland is quickly turning things around in Evansville. The Purple Aces are one of America's most underrated storylines.
Just a season ago, Evansville won five games, including one game after December 21.
This year, Evansville has surpassed that mark already, holding a pair of wins over MAC opponents and snagging its first MVC victory over Northern Iowa this past weekend.
The Purple Aces found an unexpected star in NAIA transfer Ben Humrichous. The 6-foot-8 wing is averaging 18.3 pounds and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 59% from the floor and 50% from distance.
Evansville needs more of Humrichous bringing the house down to compete against the dominant Cougars.
Coach Ragland has a pair of frontcourt players — freshman Joshua Hughes and veteran Yacine Toumi — who should allow Evansville to stay solid on the glass.
Hughes is a massive player — both literally and figuratively — against BYU. The 7-foot-1 Australia native is averaging 8.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 20 minutes per game.
Evansville is hoping to push the pace. It ranks 80th nationally in Adjusted Offensive Tempo and wants to get guards Chuck Bailey III, Antonio Thomas and Kenny Strawbridge downhill against the lesser-athletic BYU guards.
The guards each average nine-plus points per contest, led by 10.5 points from Bailey.
BYU Cougars
BYU put itself on the national radar after beating last year's runner-up — San Diego State — three weeks ago. The win against the Aztecs proved one thing: BYU's size isn't imposing, but it can beat teams with elite frontcourt threats like National Player of the Year candidate JaeDon LeDee.
Perhaps the most underrated aspect of BYU's winning ways is its ability to secure defensive rebounds. Moreover, the ability to rank No. 2 nationally in defensive rebounding percentage without having a ton of size is pretty unique.
All of BYU's team crashes the glass off of misses, and the Cougars' defensive effort is unmatched.
Those misses lead to BYU pushing in transition and (hopefully) drilling triples. The Cougars are shooting 38.9% from deep this season and get an assist on 66% of their made field goals.
Coach Mark Pope ushers an extremely balanced scoring attack — five players average double figures, led by bench gunner Jaxson Robinson (16.6 PPG).
The scariest part? BYU's offense looks elite and Spencer Johnson is shooting just 28% from deep, down from 46% a season ago. He'll make BYU's offense even more lethal once the shooting turns around.
The Cougars have won each of their seven games by nine or more points, five of which came by double-digits.
Evansville vs. BYU
Betting Pick & Prediction
I really like BYU, but it's starting to feel overvalued now due to a lava-hot stretch.
Realistically, are the Cougs one of the 10 best teams in America? I don't see it.
Evansville is a formidable opponent with enough scoring options to cover the 24.5-point spread. Evansville's offense is starting to find its stride, scoring 78+ points in four consecutive outings.
Let's say Evansville scores 75 points; that should be good enough to cover the lengthy number.
Pick: Evansville +24.5
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