Halftime Report

Only one more half stands between BYU and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 31-24 lead against Cincinnati.

BYU entered the match having won four straight and they're just one half away from another. Will they make it five, or will Cincinnati step up and spoil it? We'll know soon.

Who's Playing

Cincinnati Bearcats @ BYU Cougars

Current Records: Cincinnati 11-2, BYU 12-1

How To Watch

What to Know

Cincinnati has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Cincinnati Bearcats and the BYU Cougars will face off in a Big 12 battle at 10:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Marriott Center. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to rack up ten more assists than your opponent, a fact Cincinnati proved last Friday. They enjoyed a cozy 76-58 victory over the Aces.

Cincinnati's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was John Newman III, who scored 16 points. Day Day Thomas was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with seven assists and six rebounds.

BYU has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won nine games by 26 points or more this season. Couldn't have asked for a better way to wrap up 2023 than the 94-68 stomp they got at home against the Cowboys. The win was familiar territory for BYU who now have four in a row.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead BYU to victory, but perhaps none more so than Atiki Ally Atiki, who scored 14 points along with eight rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Ally Atiki has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Trevin Knell, who scored 17 points along with five rebounds.

The Bearcats pushed their record up to 11-2 with that win, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 83.6 points per game. As for the Cougars, their win bumped their record up to 12-1.

This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Cincinnati have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 43.8 rebounds per game. However, it's not like BYU (currently ranked third in rebounds per game) struggles in that department as they've been averaging 44.4 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.

Cincinnati is hoping to beat the odds on Saturday, as the experts think they're headed for a loss. This will be their first time playing as the underdogs on the road this season.

Odds

BYU is a big 9-point favorite against Cincinnati, according to the latest college basketball odds.

Bettors have moved against the Cougars slightly, as the game opened with the Cougars as a 10.5-point favorite.


The over/under is set at 151.5 points.

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