BYU Cougars vs Portland Pilots Betting Preview

Portland (6-10, 0-7) is by far the worst team in the West Coast Conference. The Pilots’ last win was on Dec. 22 over Montana State. Portland dropped its last game to Loyola Marymount, 75-50.

For those doing some Cougars vs Portland Pilots betting, BYU is a 19-point favorite, with the over/under set at 144½.

BYU Needs to Find Another Gear

BYU is still projected in the field by most bracketologists, but dropping a game against a Pepperdine team that is ranked 128th by Kenpom didn’t help its cause. Bracketmatrix.com currently has the Cougars as a nine-seed, but another bad loss, especially one against Portland, could see them drop out of the field.

BYU has six games remaining on its schedule, and the only one it can afford to lose is at Gonzaga to end the season. If they finish the season 19-5 and 10-3 in conference play, they will find themselves in the NCAA Tournament.

Alex Barcello leads BYU in scoring (15.4) and assists (4.6). Barcello has been one of the better 3-point shooters in the country at 47.9%.

Purdue transfer Matt Haarms is the team’s second-leading scorer despite averaging only 22 minutes at 11.3 points per game. Haarms leads the team in blocked shots at 1.8 per contest.

The other player averaging double figures for the Cougars is Brandon Averette (11.1). Averette leads the team in steals at 0.9 per game and is contributing 3.1 assists per game.

BYU is ranked 49th overall by Kenpom. The Cougars offense is ranked 61st in efficiency while the defense is 43rd.

Porter Needs to Turn it Around

Terry Porter, the former NBA player for the Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and San Antonio Spurs, has not had his successful playing career turn into a successful coaching career. This is Porter’s fifth season at the helm for the Pilots, and the team is headed in the wrong direction.

In the last three seasons, Portland has combined for a total of one West Coast Conference victory. That came last season, and the Pilots have a record of 43-102 under Porter.

Ahmed Ali leads Portland in scoring (18.1) and assists (3.0). Ali is one of the better free-throw shooters in the country at 89.9% and is one of the best players in the nation at drawing fouls.

The other bright spot for the Pilots offense is Eddie Davis, who is the team’s second-leading scorer at 11.4 points per contest. Davis leads the team in rebounding (4.8) and is the team’s best 3-point shooter at 42.4%.

Kenpom has Portland as the 312th-ranked team in the nation. The offense is ranked 304th in efficiency, and the defense ranks 297th. The Pilots are ranked in the bottom 40 teams in the country for effective field-goal percentage for and against.

Betting Pick

The college basketball betting on 19 points is a big number, especially considering how poorly the Cougars have played of late. BYU will have a huge advantage on the inside as it is one of the tallest teams in the nation, and the Pilots are one of the smallest.

Expect Haarms and Richard Harward to be able to get baskets and rebounds wherever they want. I like BYU to cover and the over in this one.

When making your college basketball picks, go with the Cougars and the over.