BYU vs VCU Basketball Prediction, Odds, Picks, Best Bets for NCAA Tournament First Round

The No. 6 seed BYU Cougars (24-9) and the No. 11 seed VCU Rams (28-6) will meet in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at 4:05 p.m. ET. The matchup airs on TNT.

Before you place your bet on this matchup at FanDuel Sportsbook, here are the NCAA basketball odds and spreads you need to know.

BYU vs. VCU Game Info and Odds

• Game day: Thursday, March 20, 2025
• Game time: 4:05 p.m. ET
• TV channel: TNT
• Location: Denver, Colorado
• Arena: Ball Arena

BYU vs. VCU Picks and Prediction

All college basketball win probability predictions and picks are according to numberFire.
Prediction: VCU win (60.6%)

Read the betting trends and insights below before placing a bet on Thursday's BYU-VCU spread (BYU -2.5) or over/under (145.5 points).

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BYU vs. VCU: ATS Betting Stats and Trends

• BYU has put together a 19-13-0 record against the spread this season.
• VCU is 20-13-0 ATS this year.
• BYU covers the spread when it is a 2.5-point favorite or more 63.6% of the time. That's more often than VCU covers as an underdog of 2.5 or more (never covered this season).
• The Cougars own a better record against the spread in home games (10-6-0) than they do in away games (6-5-0).
• Against the spread, the Rams have performed better at home (11-4-0) than away (5-5-0).

BYU vs. VCU: Moneyline Betting Stats

• BYU has been victorious in 16, or 72.7%, of the 22 contests it has been chosen as moneyline favorites in this season.
• The Cougars have a mark of 16-2 in contests where sportsbooks favor them by -144 or better on the moneyline.
• VCU has been listed as the moneyline underdog only two other times so far this season, and it lost both games.
• The Rams have played as a moneyline underdog of +122 or longer in just one game this season, which they lost.
• BYU has an implied victory probability of 59% according to the moneyline set by sportsbooks for this matchup.

BYU vs. VCU Head-to-Head Comparison

• BYU is outscoring opponents by 10.1 points per game with a +333 scoring differential overall. It puts up 81 points per game (29th in college basketball) and allows 70.9 per outing (145th in college basketball).
• Richie Saunders' team-leading 16 points per game ranks 189th in the nation.
• VCU puts up 77.1 points per game (93rd in college basketball) while allowing 62.4 per contest (eighth in college basketball). It has a +501 scoring differential and outscores opponents by 14.7 points per game.
• Max Shulga's team-leading 15.1 points per game rank him 252nd in the country.
• The Cougars win the rebound battle by 5.9 boards on average. They collect 33.4 rebounds per game, which ranks 92nd in college basketball, while their opponents pull down 27.5 per outing.
• Keba Keita leads the Cougars with 7.9 rebounds per game (67th in college basketball action).
• The Rams win the rebound battle by 6.3 boards on average. They collect 35.5 rebounds per game, 25th in college basketball, while their opponents pull down 29.2.
• Jack Clark averages 6.9 rebounds per game (179th in college basketball) to lead the Rams.
• BYU averages 104.8 points per 100 possessions on offense (17th in college basketball), and allows 91.7 points per 100 possessions (133rd in college basketball).
• The Rams rank 76th in college basketball averaging 100.3 points per 100 possessions on offense, and defensively are third, allowing 81.1 points per 100 possessions.

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