The BYU Cougars take on the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson, AZ. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Arizona is favored by 12.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -1200. The over/under sits at 164.5 total points.
Here’s my BYU vs. Arizona prediction and college basketball picks for February 18, 2026.
BYU vs Arizona Prediction
My Pick: Arizona -12.5 (Play to -13.5)
My BYU vs Arizona best bet is on the Wildcats to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
BYU vs. Arizona Odds
| BYU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -105 | 164.5 -110o / -110u | +750 |
| Arizona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12.5 -115 | 164.5 -110o / -110u | -1200 |
- BYU vs Arizona spread: Arizona -12.5
- BYU vs Arizona over/under: 164.5 points
- BYU vs Arizona moneyline: BYU +750, Arizona -1200
BYU vs Arizona College Basketball Betting Preview
BYU Basketball
BYU suffered a major blow in its overtime win against Colorado, losing Richie Saunders for the rest of the season due to injury.
The Cougars are 19-6 overall and 7-5 in the Big 12, but they'll need all hands on deck after losing their 18-point-per-game scorer.
Saunders was outstanding this season offensively, but where BYU will arguably miss him most is on defense. On the season, he held opponents to 0.833 points per possession and 35% shooting from the field.
As good as AJ Dybantsa and Rob Wright III are at scoring the ball, they have to give better effort defensively. BYU will continue to play zone defense due to its lack of depth, but too many times Dybantsa and Wright are caught playing with little effort.
On the season, opponents have an efficient field goal percentage of 50% on 202 shot attempts when guarded by Wright.
As limited as Abdullah Ahmed is offensively, he'll be relied on to be a rim protector against Arizona's offense. In his last four games, he has 10 blocks, including five against Colorado.
Arizona Basketball
Arizona has lost two in a row and now sits at 23-2 overall and 10-2 in the Big 12. The Wildcats also have injury concerns regarding Dwayne Aristode and Koa Peat, who left the Texas Tech game with a lower-body injury.
Though the Wildcats have lost two in a row, their defense remains stout. In their last five games, they own the sixth-best 2-point defense in the country (41.7%) and are holding opponents to 32% from 3, according to Bart Torvik.
Where Arizona has come up short in two close losses is at the free-throw line. It also allowed too many offensive rebounds.
In the same five-game stretch that I mentioned above, the Wildcats ranked 166th in defensive rebounding percentage.
Jayden Bradley has struggled from the field during the two-game losing streak, averaging 8.5 points per game on 27.7% shooting from the field. After playing in Allen Fieldhouse and against Texas Tech, he'll be happy to face the same BYU defense he put 26 points on earlier this season.
BYU vs. Arizona Betting Analysis
Losing Saunders is a crushing blow to a BYU team that already lacks depth.
Arizona will crowd Dybantsa like Colorado did when Saunders went down, which led to the freshman forcing the issue, shooting 6-of-20 and turning the ball over seven times.
Guard play will be my focus in this game. In their first matchup, Arizona smothered Wright, holding him to seven points on 3-of-16, while Arizona's Brayden Burries and Bradley combined for 55 points on 17-of-28 from the field.
With what I've seen from both defenses since then, I expect a similar result: Arizona limiting Wright as its guards carve up a bad BYU defense.
My Pick: Arizona -12.5 (Play to -13.5)
