BYU vs Utah Odds, Pick for Saturday

The BYU Cougars, a pleasant surprise this season, are back in action on Saturday as they head to Salt Lake City to take on the Utah Utes. BYU is the bigger story with an undefeated record, but Utah has also proven capable of playing with the best teams in the country.

BYU's statistical profile is on the verge of elite. The Cougars are ranked 10th offensively and 12th on defense through eight games. However, Utah should be ready for the challenge as the Utes have six wins through eight games.

Below, we have BYU vs Utah odds and a pick for Saturday.

BYU is one of the most balanced teams in the country. The Cougars have both a great offense and a great defense and lack true weaknesses. Utah will have to play its best game of the season to get a win here.

BYU dominates the 3-point line on both sides of the court. The Cougars make 39% of their 3-point attempts, which is even more impressive when considering that they shoot 49% of their shot attempts from outside the arc. They can catch fire and shoot themselves to victory any given night.

They're also elite at guarding the 3-point line. BYU holds opponents to an incredible 22% shooting from 3, which ranks first in all of college basketball. Utah is a very good shooting team, but this will be a very tough test.

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If Ben Carlson is healthy, there is reason to believe in Utah in this spot. The Utes have played well against some of the best teams on their schedule, including a close loss to Houston and an impressive road victory over Saint Mary's.

Utah has the shooting to hang with BYU's explosive scorers. The Utes make 38% of their shots from 3-point range as both Gabe Madsen and Cole Bajema are capable of making three or four 3s in a given game.

Utah's big problem is defending the 3-point line. The Utes are 287th in 3-point defense and allow opponents to make 36% of their shots from deep. That won't be good enough against BYU's impressive array of shooters.

With Carlson's availability up in the air, it's hard to feel confident backing the home team. KenPom projects a four-point road victory for BYU, and given the tasty matchup for BYU's shooters, we agree that the Cougars are the right side to bet here.

Pick: BYU -4

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