UConn vs. BYU prediction, pick, odds, spread: Freshman star AJ Dybantsa, No. 7 Cougars face No. 3 Huskies
Saturday's biggest game sets up for a huge showdown in Boston between two offensive juggernauts
By
Kyle Boone
•
3 min read
Two of the most efficient offenses and two of college basketball's best coaches will meet in a top-10 showdown Saturday night from Boston at TD Garden as No. 3 UConn and No. 7 BYU square off in what is shaping up to be the biggest game of the weekend in college basketball.
The No. 3 Huskies (3-0) and No. 7 Cougars (3-0) own the No. 4 and No. 8 offensive units in adjusted efficiency metrics at KenPom.com in the early going of the season. And armed with stars on both sides -- Tarris Reed Jr., Solo Ball and Alex Karaban for UConn, and AJ Dybantsa, Robert Wright III and Richie Saunders for BYU -- the game is emitting distinct second-weekend-of-the-NCAA-Tournament vibes. If that's not enough to get your heart racing you may need to get a pulse check.
Here is everything you need to know about Saturday's showdown from TD Garden.
Where to watch UConn vs. BYU live
Date: Saturday, Nov. 15 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: TD Garden -- Boston, Massachusetts
TV: Fox | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
UConn vs. BYU: Need to know
UConn's two-way dynamism: UConn has had a top-25 offensive unit in each of the last five seasons under Dan Hurley. To be expected. Ho-hum. But its defense -- outside of the two title seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24 -- has been a hindrance to the Huskies. That doesn't appear to be the case this season. This UConn team in addition to its potent offense is currently No. 13 in adjusted defensive efficiency at KenPom and so far is top-50 in defending the 3-point line and top-15 on 2s. That will be put to the test in a big way vs. BYU's attack that can generate offense both inside and out.
Dybantsa showtime debut: BYU star freshman AJ Dybantsa, the No. 2 recruit in his class and a strong contender to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is set for his first major spotlight on primetime against a top-10 team. We wait with bated breath to see how he fares. He's averaging 18.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in three outings so far for the Cougars -- but UConn coach Dan Hurley will no doubt have a gameplan to try and limit him in this one.
Sharing is caring: It sounds like an oversimplification -- and perhaps it is! -- but UConn has been an elite ball-moving team on offense the last three seasons. It runs complex, long-developing sets and its success is predicated on moving without the ball and swinging it to get the defense off kilter. Doing that vs. BYU with success will be an early indicator as to how the Cougars can match up defensively. Even the best defenses have trouble slowing this UConn offense because of its sets and its counters. My prediction: BYU will have to force UConn into an uncharacteristically high number of turnovers to keep pace.
UConn vs. BYU prediction, pick
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
My prediction is that while BYU falls in a close one, it keeps it within the number. This is a talented BYU team that can score with UConn when it is on its game even against an improved UConn defense. Huskies win, Cougars cover. This feels like a shootout that goes final at, say, 84-80. Somewhere around there. Pick: BYU +6.5
Who will win and cover in every college basketball game? Visit SportsLine to get picks from the model that simulates each game 10,000 times and is up more than $1,200 for $100 players on its top-rated spread picks the past six years.
