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Washington State vs. BYU Prediction and Odds (Cougars Guaranteed to win NIT Quarterfinal)

By Matt De Saro

Washington State v UCLA
Washington State v UCLA / Ethan Miller/GettyImages
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The NIT Tournament is heating up and tonight features a tight matchup between the Washington State Cougars and the BYU Cougars. Totally not confusing. A spot in the NIT semifinal is on the line in this home game for BYU. Both of these teams were considered NCAA Tournament caliber in the preseason. Yet they both fell short of those aspirations when the regular season ended. Despite this, each Cougars team has played very well in the NIT and it will be hard to pick a side between them. 

Here are the odds for this NIT quarterfinal matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Washington State vs. BYU Odds, Spread, and Total

Spread:

  • Washington State +2 (-110)
  • BYU -2 (-110)

Moneyline:

  • Washington State +112
  • BYU -135

Total: 143 (Over -110/Under -110)

Washington State vs. BYU Prediction and Pick

This game going down at Marriott Center is a big deal for BYU. In fact, the Cougars have not left Provo since the NIT started. They crushed Long Beach State by 21 in the first round and Northern Iowa by 19 in the second. BYU easily covered each of those games by a combined total of 24 points. But, BYU hasn’t been that dominant at home all year. During the regular season, they were 7-7 ATS at home. Meanwhile, Washington State is one of the better road teams in the NIT, covering 60 percent as road dogs. 

This game gets even harder to choose a side when glancing at each Cougar’s season averages. Washington State has an exceptional defense that ranks 35th in scoring along with a decent offense at 127th in points.

BYU has the opposite story. The Cougars have the nation’s 60th ranked scoring offense and 152nd ranked scoring defense. 

In games this tight I like to look at a few specific stats including free-throw shooting percentage, turnovers, and fouls. In this case, the Cougars from Washington State have the edge in all three. This is enough for me to take a chance on a second upset win in a row from Washington State.

Lean: Washington State Cougars +112 to win

Follow all of Matt De Saro’s betting picks HERE

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