The Arizona Wildcats take on the BYU Cougars in Provo, Utah. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Arizona is favored by 3 points on the spread with a moneyline of -155. The total is set at 164.5 points.
Here’s my Arizona vs. BYU predictions and college basketball picks for January 26, 2026.
Arizona vs BYU Prediction
My Pick: BYU ML +130
My Arizona vs BYU best bet is on the Cougars to win outright. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Arizona vs. BYU Odds
| Arizona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3 -110 | 164.5 -110o / -110u | -155 |
| BYU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3 -110 | 164.5 -110o / -110u | +130 |
- Arizona vs BYU spread: Arizona -3
- Arizona vs BYU over/under: 164.5 points
- Arizona vs BYU moneyline: Arizona -155, BYU +130
Arizona vs BYU College Basketball Betting Preview
Arizona Basketball
Given Tommy Lloyd's significant recruiting experience as Mark Few’s right-hand at Gonzaga, Arizona hired him prior to the 2021 season after several disappointing early exits in March under Sean Miller. While Miller led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight three times, the Arizona Athletic Director felt it was time for a change.
The Wildcats head coach wasted no time securing an NCAA Tournament bid in each of his four seasons at Arizona. Lloyd brought in a stacked 2025 recruiting class featuring the likes of 6-foot-8 forward Koa Peat and 6-foot-4 guard Brayden Burries.
The freshman duo both ranked among the top 12 recruits in college basketball and have made an immediate impact for an undefeated Arizona team that excels on both ends of the floor. Both Peat and Burries are projected to be top-10 selections in the upcoming 2026 NBA Draft.
Peat’s near 15 points and six rebounds per contest lead an extremely athletic Wildcats frontcourt that also features Ivan Kharchenkov and 7-foot-2 forward Motiejus Krivas. The two European forwards have been stellar under the basket, making it extremely difficult for opponents to find open looks under the basket.
This superb rim protection has been a vital component at the core of a defense that ranks third in the country in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
On the other end of the floor, Burries leads the point for a third-ranked Arizona offense, posting over 90 points per game over the first two months of the season. Lloyd’s star point guard has been an extremely effective 2-way player in his first season with the Wildcats.
Arizona’s offense operates at an incredible pace, making it very difficult for opponents to keep up with the Wildcats’ offensive firepower. Dwayne Aristode and Tobe Awaka have also been essential in a Lloyd scheme that operates like a well-oiled machine.
The youth and athleticism of college basketball’s top-ranked Wildcats has overwhelmed its first 20 opponents, rattling off six Quad 1 victories over the likes of Florida, UConn, UCLA, Auburn and Alabama.
While Lloyd’s bunch has been largely unstoppable thus far, an extremely difficult conference schedule featuring a gauntlet of loaded Big 12 foes lies in wait.
BYU Basketball
If there's any other team in college basketball that can match the offensive output and overall efficiency of the Wildcats' offense, it's Kevin Young’s 13th-ranked Cougars.
BYU enters Monday night’s Big 12 showdown with Arizona having won 17 of its first 19 contests to start the 2026 season.
The Cougars’ offense is racking up nearly 87 points per game, ranking inside the top-five scoring teams in college basketball.
Leading the charge for BYU is the 2025 class' top freshman recruit in 6-foot-9 forward AJ Dybansta.
The projected future top-two NBA draft selection is a top-five scorer in the country with 22.5 points per game. BYU’s star freshman has been a matchup nightmare for opposing frontcourts, as his exceptional athleticism — paired with an NBA-ready physique — has made him an unstoppable scoring threat.
The freshman is undeniably the best mid-range scorer in college basketball.
With a remarkable agility for a player of his upper-body strength and size, Dybansta has quickly cemented himself as one of the best two-way players in the country.
Behind a frontcourt that also features 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward Keba Keita, BYU plays with an unmatched level of physicality and brute force on both ends of the floor.
BYU’s physicality under the basket is a vital component for its offense, enabling its ability to use exceptional spacing to find open looks from beyond the arc.
Former Baylor guard Robert Wright III executes Young’s offensive schematics to a tee, implementing quick dribble hand-offs and consistent off-ball movement that constantly require defensive adjustments.
Young’s success as an offensive mastermind dates back to his experience coaching in the NBA, prioritizing the need to convert on field goal attempts off-the-dribble.
BYU’s offense implementation of backdoor cuts and effective off-ball screens to create space to dribble — and then shoot — closely mirrors that of an NBA-style offense.
The sophistication of this Cougars offense has terrorized opposing defenses that aren't used to seeing that level of efficiency in the half-court, especially in combination with an ability to push the pace and score in transition.
Arizona vs. BYU Betting Analysis
I expect Monday night’s showdown to be extremely closely-contested and one of the best matchups of the season. This features two of the most dominant offenses in college basketball.
While Arizona remains just one of three unbeaten teams in the country, the Big 12 undoubtedly has the most difficult conference schedule in college basketball, making the Wildcats’ unblemished record all the more at risk with every single matchup.
Monday’s battle in Provo will be the most difficult test for the Wildcats thus far.
I saw the potential of Lloyd’s bunch in the preseason, and I hold a 35/1 ticket on Arizona to cut down the nets come March.
In my view, the Wildcats are the most complete team in all of college basketball, next to Michigan. That said, nobody runs the table in college basketball, and Arizona heads into Provo matched up with a BYU team that can match its offensive firepower and ability to push the pace.
Arizona’s first loss is coming sooner rather than later, and I think Young’s Cougars are catching the Wildcats at the perfect time. Coming off a close defeat to Texas Tech last week, BYU will surely be motivated to prove it can hang with any opponent in the country.
I think the nation’s top team suffers its first defeat on Monday night, so I'll be backing BYU to get the outright victory in this Big 12 shootout.
My Pick: BYU ML +130
