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BYU vs Pepperdine 2/26/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

Pepperdine Waves (7-23) vs. BYU Cougars (20-9)
February 26, 2022 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: BYU Cougars -16.5 / Pepperdine Waves +16.5; Over/Under: 147.5
(Get latest betting odds)

The Pepperdine Waves will travel to the Marriott Center to take on the BYU Cougars this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The Pepperdine Waves lost their 5th straight game and dropped to 7-23 on the season after being defeated by the Santa Clara Broncos, 89-73, this past Thursday night. Pepperdine has no answers on the defensive end against Santa Clara and could not fight back after the Broncos took a 68-56 lead with 12:26 left in regulation. Pepperdine shot 46.3% from the field & 33.3% from beyond the arc while allowing Santa Clara to shoot 57.6% from the field & 29.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Waves was Victor Ohia Obioha who had 9 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, & 1 steal.

On the season, Pepperdine is averaging 68.6 ppg on 41.9% shooting from the field. The Waves are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 34.3% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Pepperdine has been led by Jan Zidek (13.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 apg), Houston Mallette (13.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.9 apg), Maxwell Lewis (11.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.1 spg), & Mike Mitchell Jr. (8.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.0 spg). Maxwell Lewis has missed the past couple of games due to a wrist injury and is questionable for this matchup.

Defensively, Pepperdine is allowing their opponents to average 77.7 ppg on 46.5% shooting from the field. The Waves have a rebound margin of -3.3 and a turnover margin of -1.6.

The BYU Cougars improved to 20-9 on the season after defeating the Loyola Marymount Lions, 79-59, this past Thursday. BYU dominated Loyola Marymount on both ends of the court in the 1st half and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 45-28 lead. BYU shot 54.1% from the field & 36.8% from beyond the arc while holding Loyola Marymount to 38.8% shooting from the field. & 36.8% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cougars was Caleb Lohner who had a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, & 2 assists.

On the season, BYU is averaging 73.6 ppg on 45.2% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 8.1 three-pointers per game on 36.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, BYU has been led by Alex Barcello (17.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.0 spg), Te’Jon Lucas (10.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.0 spg), Fousseyni Traore (8.4 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.3 bpg), & Gideon George (8.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 apg).

Defensviely, BYU is allowing their opponents to average 68.2 ppg on 42.2% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 6.9 and a turnover margin of -1.9.

The Waves are 5-10 ATS in their last 15 games & 12-5-1 ATS in their last 18 games vs. BYU. The Cougars are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games & 5-6 ATS in their last 11 home games.

Pepperdine has lost 14 of their last 15 games and have had issues on both ends of the court this season as the Waves come into this game ranked just 249th in scoring offense, 330th in scoring defense, & 308th in defensive FG%. BYU has been solid on the offensive end this season, ranking 122nd in scoring offense, 135th in FG%, & 58th in 3P-FG%, and between the fact that Pepperdine is 0-12 on the road this season and that I think the Cougars offense will have no trouble putting up 80+ points in this one, I’m taking BYU to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!

Brett Nault's Free Pick: BYU Cougars -16.5

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Brett Nault

Brett has been involved with sports his entire life, whether playing them or betting on them, and loves using his education in data analytics to break down all matchups to get you a competitive edge. Follow Brett Nault on Twitter @BrettCU05

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