Iowa State vs BYU Prediction, Picks and Best Bets

The college basketball season is rolling along, giving us plentiful betting options with so many teams in action each day.

Fortunately, we have abundant tools available that can aid our chances of finding good betting value. Bart Torvik and KenPom are excellent sources that give insights into team-level efficiency, and Sports Reference provides a wide range of useful team stats, as well.

Let's check out FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball odds to find the best bets and player props for Iowa State vs. BYU, which tips at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Please note lines are subject to change throughout the day after this article is published.

BYU vs Iowa State Prediction and Picks

Iowa State -3.5 (-110)

This is the final game of a brutal three-game stretch for Iowa State. They won the first two, besting Kansas (by 18) and Houston (by 3) at home. I think they'll get the clean sweep in a win and cover at BYU.

These two squads are trending in opposite directions. While the Cyclones are riding high after two marquee wins and have lost just once over their last eight games, BYU is in a rut. Not only have the Cougars lost six of their past nine contests, they've lost star guard Richie Saunders to a season-ending injury.

Saunders was hurt early two games ago at home versus Colorado, a team KenPom ranks 74th overall, and the Cougs ended up squeaking out an overtime win. In their first full game sans Saunders, BYU lost by seven at Arizona, scoring only 68 points as AJ Dybantsa ended up taking 28 of their 58 shots.

Iowa State ranks eighth in KenPom D and should be able to zero in on Dybantsa. The Cyclones are also 15th in KenPom offense, so they're just an excellent team across the board.

The Marriott Center will surely be rocking as the BYU faithful tries to help their Cougars right the ship. But Iowa State might be too much to handle right now for a struggling and short-handed BYU team.

AJ Dybantsa Under 25.5 Points (-113)

Dybantsa has proven he's not afraid to take plenty of shots. That makes this bet a little scary, but I think Iowa State can keep him relatively in check.

As mentioned above, Iowa State is eighth in KenPom D. While Dybantsa is a handful for anyone one on one, the Cyclones play elite team defense. Plus, they have rangy, long defenders like Joshua Jefferson and Blake Buchanan they can throw at the freshman sensation.

At Arizona, Dybantsa shouldered a huge offensive workload sans Saunders, putting up 28 shots -- four more than he had taken in any game this campaign. He's shot it at least 20 times in four of BYU's last five games and has netted at least 28 points four times in that span. But that kind of shooting volume isn't customary for him as Dybantsa is averaging only 16.0 shots per game for the year.

One of Dybantsa's best attributes this season is that he's been excellent at getting to the free-throw. He should find that tougher than usual against the Cyclones as Iowa State has permitted the 21st-lowest free-throw attempt rate (FTs per field-goal attempt).

All in all, I'm backing the Cyclones' defense to keep Dybantsa under 26 points.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.