Score Prediction for BYU Basketball vs VCU in the NCAA Tournament

Casey Lundquist | Mar 20, 2025

Mar 19, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; BYU Cougars head coach Kevin Young during a press conference at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

BYU is back in the NCAA Tournament. This time, the Cougars are led by first-year head coach Kevin Young. BYU will be looking to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Jimmer Fredette was the National Player of the Year.

This game features a battle-tested team in BYU that has won 9 out of their last 10 games. The Cougars tallied wins over the likes of Kansas, Arizona, and Iowa State during that span.

VCU won three consecutive games in the A-10 tournament to earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, VCU is not battle-tested like BYU. The Rams have not played a top-40 team in the KenPom rankings all season.

To win this game, BYU needs to prevent VCU from getting hot from the three-point line. VCU attempts a lot of threes, shooting 47% of their total shots from three (27th nationally). However, the Rams are inconsistent from three. VCU makes 33.5% of their threes which ranks 190th nationally.

BYU has allowed more three-point attempts than almost any team in the country. The Cougars will be vulnerable if VCU heats up from deep.

When BYU is on offense, they will likely get a lot of looks from three as well. BYU shoots even more threes than VCU, except BYU hits them at a higher clip. BYU makes 37% of their threes which ranks 32nd nationally.

Ultimately, this is a team that BYU should beat if they play the way they have played over the last month. Extra opportunities on offense will be the difference in this game for BYU.

Prediction: BYU 78 | VCU 68