Villanova (0-0) vs BYU (0-0)
- When: Nov 3 2025, 9:30 PM
- Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV, USA
- Where to watch: TNT
Villanova vs (8) BYU Preview & Prediction
Spread: BYU -8.5
Moneyline: BYU (-420)
Total: 153.5
BYU Cougars – Loaded, Loud, and Loving Vegas Lights
The BYU Cougars didn’t just come to Las Vegas to play basketball, they came to put on a show. Fresh off their first Sweet 16 run since the days when people still used Facebook unironically, the Cougars enter the season as the “we might actually win the Big 12” team nobody wants to face.
Head coach Kevin Young basically turned Provo into a basketball Costco this offseason, you name it, he got it. Freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa headlines the reload. The 18-year-old already has scouts drooling and NBA GMs Googling “how to trade for 2026 draft picks.” Add Baylor transfer Robert Wright III the human assist machine and Southern Illinois sniper Kennard Davis Jr., and you’ve got a team that’s deeper than a late-night Reddit thread.
Returning stars Richie Saunders, Keba Keita, and Dawson Baker add plenty of punch to an offense that could melt scoreboards. Saunders is the main bucket-getter, averaging 16.5 points while hitting threes like it’s a pop-a-shot contest at Dave & Buster’s. Meanwhile, Keita shoots 67% from the field, which means every time he touches the ball, it’s basically a coin flip between a dunk and a foul.
If this game turns into a track meet, BYU’s fine with that. They’ve been picked to finish second in the Big 12, and they want everyone to know that’s not good enough. Expect a motivated squad ready to flex early.
Villanova Wildcats – Rebuilding with Hope and Transfer Portal Magic
Over in the Villanova corner, first-year coach Kevin Willard inherits a program that’s been searching for its post–Jay Wright identity like a dad looking for his reading glasses. The Wildcats went 21-15 last year, decent, but not exactly “cutting down nets” decent.
Willard arrives from Maryland with a playbook full of Big East grit and a roster that looks like it came straight out of a transfer portal clearance sale. Eight new faces join the party, including Maryland transfers Tafara Gapare, Malachi Palmer, and Braden Pierce. The challenge? Turning chaos into chemistry faster than you can say “Wildcats basketball is back.”
Villanova showed flashes in the preseason, splitting two exhibitions, including a solid win over VCU. But let’s be real, taking on a Top 10 BYU squad in Vegas is a baptism by fire. If the Wildcats want to hang around, they’ll need to hit shots early and slow down the Cougars’ pace.
Prediction – Vegas Lights, BYU Nights
Villanova might make it interesting early, but BYU’s depth and shooting should take over in the second half. The Cougars are simply too loaded, too athletic, and too comfortable playing in front of a crowd that’s probably half Provo anyway. Expect fireworks, fast breaks, and at least one highlight dunk that’ll make the “SportsCenter Top 10.”
Final Score: BYU 84, Villanova 72
Lean: BYU -8.5
Total: Over 153.5
- NCAAB Odds source: Bovada Sportsbook
