KU basketball vs. BYU game prediction: Will Jayhawks end their road losing streak?
The No. 23-ranked Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team is set to play BYU on Tuesday.
KU lost to Utah on Saturday, while BYU beat Kansas State. The Jayhawks maintained their streak of AP Top 25 appearances despite the defeat, their fourth in seven games.
Below is a scouting report and prediction of the game.
No. 23 Kansas at BYU: Game details
When/where: 8 p.m., Marriott Center (Provo, Utah)
TV/Streaming: ESPN
Opponent’s record: 17-8
KenPom (Ken Pomeroy) Ranking: No. 33
ESPN matchup predictor: Kansas 52.2% to win
Betting odds: BYU -1.5 (DraftKings)
All statistics are from KenPom.com and EvanMiya. KenPom stats only include Division I competition.
BYU team strengths
Elite offense: The Cougars rank No. 15 in adjusted offensive efficiency (121.1). Adjusted offensive efficiency is the number of points scored per 100 possessions, weighted for opponent. KU ranks No. 48 in the same metric.
Inside the arc converters: BYU ranks No. 7 in 2-point percentage (58.7%).
Sharing is caring: The Cougars rank No. 43 in assist rate (58.9). Meanwhile, KU ranks No. 18.
BYU team weaknesses
Free throw struggles: BYU ranks No. 259 in free throw percentage (69.5%).
Struggles getting to the line: The Cougars rank No. 279 in free throw rate (29.9). So they don’t draw many fouls, nor do they shoot well at the line.
Issues vs. the long ball: BYU’s opponents are shooting 34.8% on 3-pointers, putting their long-range defense at No. 244 overall.
BYU Name to Know
6-foot-5 junior forward Richie Saunders (No. 15)
+ Quality scorer (15 PPG)
+ Solid free throw shooter (76.5% at the line)
+ Elite from deep (42.4% on 3-pointers)
+ Steals magnet (1.2 SPG)
+ Crashes the boards (4.5 RPG)
- Not much of a facilitator (1.4 APG)
Tale of the tape
One thing the Cougars love to do is shoot 3-pointers. They rank No. 17 in 3-point rate.
BYU has multiple players shooting efficiently from deep, including guard Dawson Baker. He’s shooting 40% from 3 — and showed why against K-State.
Baker is elite at moving without the ball. One on play, he received a quick screen, ran around it, caught the pass and quickly canned the 3-pointer before a K-State defender could fully contest.
There wasn’t much space, but Baker made the difficult shot. The Jayhawks will need to react better defending screens than they did vs. Utah.
Coach Bill Self even noted the Jayhawks “messed up” a ball-screen coverage from the jump in the Utah loss. He shared his frustration to reporters in his postgame news conference.
For the Jayhawks, communication needs to be better. If the Jayhawks leave shooters open, the Cougars will make them pay.
Kansas-BYU game prediction
The Jayhawks have played .500 ball since mid-January, which has frustrated players, coaches and even fans.
“I’m tired of regrouping,” Self said after KU’s loss to Utah. “We don’t need to regroup. We need to be men as an entire organization and do what our job is to do — accept responsibility for everybody when we don’t do it well.”
The Jayhawks entered the year ranked No. 1 but haven’t looked the part since November.
Now, KU desperately needs a win. It won’t be easy, especially in front of a passionate BYU fan base.
Additionally, the Cougars match up well against KU. Not only does BYU have a top-15 offense — the Cougars are also elite at defending inside the arc. That’ll pose an interesting challenge for KU, which scores just shy of 60% of its points on 2-pointers (No. 9 nationally).
It’s not out of the question that the Jayhawks bounce back with a win, but it’s hard to trust a KU squad that hasn’t played consistent and quality basketball in weeks.
I believe BYU will hand KU its fourth straight road loss.
BYU 73, KU 67
Shreyas’ pick to cover the spread: BYU (-1.5)
Shreyas’ season record: 19-6
Shreyas’ record against the spread: 14-11
KU Player to Watch: Hunter Dickinson
Hunter Dickinson struggled vs. Utah. He finished with 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting and only grabbed seven rebounds.
Dickinson is KU’s best offensive player outside of Zeke Mayo, so the Jayhawks desperately need him to get back on track. He’s had a few rough outings on the road, but KU will lean on him against BYU.
He’s my player to watch for that reason.
This story was originally published February 17, 2025 at 1:38 PM.
