The BYU Cougars travel to play the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Wednesday night in a Big 12 showdown on FOX Sports 1. BYU is coming off a second-straight loss to Kansas, while Oklahoma State won at Utah on Saturday. Here’s a preview, prediction, key storylines and updated odds to keep an eye on in this match up as we get set for the game tonight in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
BYU vs. Oklahoma State Basketball Odds
BYU opened up as a 5.5-point favorite, with an over/under of 168.5 total points. As of Monday afternoon, the Cougars were up to 6.5 or 7-point favorites, with an over/under coming down to 167.5 or 168.
Key Storyline: Can Oklahoma State Top 80 Points?
When the Cowboys score over 80 points, they win, when they don’t, they lose. Oklahoma State has not lost a game all season where they score more than 80 points. They scored exactly 80 in a loss to Texas Tech, but they dropped that game by 22 points. Oklahoma State wants to play up-tempo and keep this game high scoring, in hoping they have the ball last with a chance to pull off the upset against the Cougars.
Match Up to Watch: BYU’s Start
Much has been made of BYU being the best second-half team in the country. But part of that is driven by their slow starts, which we saw in losses to Arizona and Kansas last week. Kevin Young just needs his team to get off to a quick start. Get AJ the ball early and often, and let him get comfortable against a suspect Oklahoma State defense. Settle in and get going. They can’t have another one of these slow starts on the road, or else the folks in Stillwater will smell blood in the water.
Prediction: BYU 84, Oklahoma State 70
While Oklahoma State would love to pull off this upset to boost its NCAA Tournament resume, it feels like a get-right game for the Cougars, who have lost two in a row and three of their last four games. Oklahoma State is going to have a hard time slowing down AJ Dybantsa, while the Pokes, who give up the most turnovers in the Big 12, will have a hard time keeping up with BYU.
