KenPom Predicts BYU Basketball vs Baylor

Feb 20, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Baylor Bears center Yves Missi (21) shoots a foul shot against the Brigham Young Cougars during the second half at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Feb 20, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Baylor Bears center Yves Missi (21) shoots a foul shot against the Brigham Young Cougars during the second half at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images
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On Tuesday night, Kevin Young and the BYU basketball program will be looking for their third consecutive win in conference play. The Baylor Bears come into town, fresh off a convincing win over Utah.

The Cougars are coming off back-to-back blowout wins over Colorado and Cincinnati. They host the Bears for a chance to be above .500 in conference play for the first time this season. BYU has looked like an entirely different team over the last week, placing an emphasis on up-tempo offense and cohesive defense. The result has been complete domination, particularly in the second half. BYU has outscored its last two opponents 97-60 in the second half. They will test their new-found offensive rhythm against much stiffer competition in Baylor on Tuesday night.

KenPom, the industry leader in predictive college basketball analytics, predicted BYU vs Baylor. KenPom gives BYU a 60% chance to win with an expected final score of 74-71.

ESPN BPI is less optimistic about BYU's chances to win this game than KenPom. ESPN BPI gives BYU a 54% chance to beat Baylor.

Winning this game might come down to winning BYU's ability to win its first close game of the season. With the loss to Utah last week, BYU moved to 0-4 in overtime games and games decided by five points or less.

Losing close games has been the headline of BYU's season thus far. When BYU has won, they've won big. Every single win has come by double digits.

BYU needs to learn how to win a close game sooner rather than later. They might have their chance to do just that on Tuesday night against Baylor.


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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.