2 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for VCU vs. BYU

Since the 2019 men's college basketball tournament, an average of 2.0 No. 11 seeds won in the first round each year. Including teams battling on Tuesday and Wednesday, this field features four 11 seeds in the top 45 of KenPom. With that said, taking at least a pair of 11 seeds in the first round should be squarely on our radars -- whether it's for filling out brackets or betting.

Among the 11 seeds, the VCU Rams could be the most dangerous team of the group. The BYU Cougars are no slouch either, winning 9 of their last 10.

To see thoughts on other games, check out our full men's college basketball tournament predictions page. But for VCU vs. BYU, here are my favorite bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball betting odds.

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Betting Picks for VCU vs. BYU

VCU Moneyline (+125)

As their KenPom ranking suggests (30th), the Rams were certainly underseeded. VCU is surrounded by 7, 8, and 9 seeds when looking at its KenPom standings. At least a No. 10 seed should have been in play. That means bad news for a rolling BYU squad.

Whoever wins this matchup has a legitimate shot of making a deep run in the East region. The Cougars are also one of the most underrated teams of the tournament as our Brandon Gdula highlighted BYU's offense in FanDuel Research's 10 most underrated teams of the 2025 men's college basketball tournament.

This is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing and important games over Thursday and Friday. With that said, who is in line to win?

Each team is in the 93rd percentile of three-point shot distribution (per Bart Torvik) and three-point attempts per game. Between the two, the Rams tout the better defense by ranking 23rd in KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency compared to the Cougars ranking 68th.

I prefer to lean on defense in the early rounds of the college basketball tournament. Plus, VCU is still plenty capable of scoring with ideal shot distributions paired with logging 76.3 (PPG) points per game (76th percentile). On defense, the Rams are in the 82nd percentile of three-point shot distribution allowed while BYU is in the 9th percentile of the category.

VCU could even have a leg up in the possession battle, for it forces 13.7 turnovers per game (87th percentile) while the Cougars log 12.1 turnovers per contest (39th percentile). We've also got the Rams averaging 11.7 offensive rebounds per game (96th percentile) compared to BYU's 9.2 (62nd percentile).

Max Shulga Over 14.5 Points (-114)

When it comes to player props, backing one of VCU's shooters has value.

Max Shulga leads the team with 68 three-point makes on the season while converting 38.6% of his three-point looks. We already discussed BYU's porous perimeter defense, and the Cougars allow opposing point guards to shoot 40.3% from three-point land. Opposing point guards also record 16.5 points per 40 minutes against the Cougars (fifth-most among Big 12 teams).

Shulga also has the production to go over 14.5 points as he averages 15.1 PPG this season. Additionally, he's reached 16 points in 3 of his last 5 games -- and 6 of the previous 10.

Which bets stand out to you for today's games? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest men's college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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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.

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