Pepperdine vs BYU Prediction and Betting Preview
SportsMemo content contributor Kyle Kargel gives his Pepperdine vs BYU prediction in the West Coast Conference. At the time of posting, the Cougars have opened as a 13-point road favorite over the home Waves, with the total sitting at 146.5 points.
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
Saturday, February 12 | West Coast Conference Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Pepperdine Waves +13 vs BYU Cougars |
Total: | 146.5 Points |
Game Time: | 10:00pm ET / 7:00pm PT |
Arena: | Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, CA |
TV: | CBS Sports Network |
Pepperdine vs BYU Analysis
BYU heads to Pepperdine in a West Coast Conference showdown tonight in a game in which the Cougars need to win badly to take their season back.
Before going 1-4 in their last five, the Cougars looked to be in good shape for a possible NCAA Tournament bid with a 17-4 record.
Those days are gone and BYU needs wins desperately down the stretch in order to rekindle their Big Dance hopes. In their only win in the last five, the Cougars barely beat a depleted 9-13 Loyola Marymount team 83-82 in overtime.
Tonight they get what seems to be a cake walk in Pepperdine who sits dead last in the conference, but they play the games for a reason. So where can Pepperdine shine in this contest and possibly pull off the upset at home?
Pepperdine Season Waving Out of Control
The Waves are 1-10 in their last 11 and for them the season can’t end fast enough.
Their top three scorers put up very consistent stats to one another as Jan Zidek, Houston Mallette and Maxwell Lewis all average between 11-12 ppg and 3 rpg while averaging between 40-41% from the field and between 80-86% from the free throw line.
If these numbers seem lackluster to you, that’s because they are. The Waves as a team rank 300th or worse nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency, effective fg percentage and two point fg percentage. They also turn the ball over at an alarming rate of over 21 times per game.
Where the Waves can take advantage of BYU though is their up-tempo pace as they rank 25th in the country in time of possession and 45th in adjusted tempo. If Pepperdine wants a shot to pull the upset, look for them to push it down the court and often.
Cougars Need Recalibrating
It will be interesting to see how the turnover battle works in this one. Although Pepperdine turns it over many times per game, the Cougars have trouble forcing turnovers.
BYU ranks 327th nationally in turnovers forced per game which works out in the Waves favor. They will be looking to big man Fousseyni Traore (8.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg) to eat up many of the boards from missed Waves shots to eliminate extra possessions for them.
The Cougars actually great at not allowing opponents to grab offensive rebounds ranking 28th nationally in that category. Overall though BYU ranks in the top 65 nationally in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.
They’ll be looking to playmaker senior Alex Barcello averaging over 16 ppg, 3 rpg and 3 apg to get back on track after only going 8-25 shooting in his past two games combined. He does shoot an impressive 88% from the free throw line though which makes up for his bad shooting nights.
Pepperdine vs BYU Prediction
BYU needs some sort of statement win here on the road and even though it’s against the cellar dwellers of the conference, they’ll be looking to build some momentum heading into the final three games of the season after this one.
Don’t look for the Cougars to hold back if they go up big, covering the big 13 point spread for the game.
Prediction: BYU -13
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Pepperdine vs BYU Preview from GoldSheet
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Saturday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Pepperdine vs BYU contest.
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