The BYU Cougars (24-10) meet the Stanford Cardinal (18-15) in the NIT at Maples Pavilion. The game will air on ESPNU at 10 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.
Stanford opened as a 2.5-point favorite, while the Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 150.5 points.
BYU Cougars vs. Stanford Cardinal Free Prediction
The Cougars are hoping for a better outcome after their 74-54 loss to the No. 6 Gonzaga Bulldogs in their last matchup. One of Gonzaga’s largest strengths was their ability to convert at the free throw line. They were 6-7 (85.7 percent), while the Cougars were just 4-5 (80.0 percent). Yoeli Childs was BYU’s leading scorer with 20 points on 7-for-16 shooting.
The last time the Cardinal played, they were beaten by the UCLA Bruins, 88-77. UCLA’s turnover percentage was their largest strength over Stanford. The Bruins had a rate of 8.3 (better than their season average of 14.6), while the Cardinal posted a mark of 17.1 (above the 13.0 mark opponents have averaged against UCLA this season). Stanford’s Kezie Okpala put together a solid performance, leading the team in scoring with 23 points on 6-for-16 shooting.
A focal point for the Stanford offense is getting to the free throw line. The Cardinal rank 31st in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.287), but BYU is among the best in the nation at keeping opponents away from the charity stripe (ranking 22nd by yielding a FTA rate of 0.183).
BYU heads into the contest with records of 24-10 straight up (SU) and 15-15-1 against the spread (ATS). Of the Cougars’ 31 games that accepted bets, 16 have finished under the projected point total.
Meanwhile, Stanford is 18-15 SU and 16-16-1 ATS. Coinciding with BYU, games including the Cardinal have a slight tendency to go under the O/U total (54.5 percent).
Reid Travis has averaged 23.8 points and 11.4 rebounds over the last five games for Stanford.
BYU Cougars vs. Stanford Cardinal ATS Pick
Pick: SU Winner – Stanford, ATS Winner – Stanford, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Stanford ranks 38th in rebounds per game (38.5) while BYU ranks 272nd (32.6).
The Cougars rank 90th in blocks per game (3.8) while the Cardinal rank 211th in blocks allowed per game (4.4).
BYU averages 6.4 steals per game, which ranks 115th in the NCAA. Stanford ranks 185th in steals allowed per game (6.8).
The Cougars rank 61st in assists per game (15.3) while the Cardinal rank 113th in assists allowed per game (12.9).
BYU ranks 258th in three pointers attempted per game (18.3) while Stanford ranks 265th (18.0).
Bettings Trends:
The Cougars have been outscored by an average of 0.6 points in their last five games. For the season, BYU has defeated opponents by an average of 6.8 points.
During their last five games, the Cardinal have scored an average of 78.0 points per game (2.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 77.6 points per game (2.8 above their season average).
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