(551) SAN DIEGO at (552) BYU
FREE PICK: (552) BYU -11.5
BYU hasn’t exactly been the nuts spotting big points this season, but if there’s a spot to fire on them as heavy chalk, I think this might be it.
It’s Senior Night in Provo and the Cougars should be revved up for this game. BYU comes in warm, having scored three successive blowouts since a disastrous second half collapse at Pepperdine. I don’t believe it’s unreasonable to suggest the Cougars are coming into this game playing their best basketball of the season.
I make this a tough spot for San Diego. The Toreros are off their home finale, which turned out to be a gut wrenching loss against Saint Mary’s. San Diego feel behind by a bundle before mounting a big second half charge. But they ended up bowing to the Gaels in double overtime, and I can see that being a demoralizing loss for the Toreros.
BYU will be out to avenge an earlier loss to USD in which the Cougars probably had a beef with the officiating. San Diego played very physically in that game, but it was BYU that kept getting whistled for fouls, and I believe they got rattled in the process.
Good news for BYU as Anson Winder is good to go in this game, and I’m looking for a very energized Cougars squad tonight. Head coach Dave Rose has evidently been very vocal at practice this week and with all that’s on the line here, I feel we have a good chance to see BYU at its best tonight.
The key will be BYU’s intensity on defense, which isn’t always there. I’m not worried about the offense as the Cougars are humming lately and I fully expect them to put up some strong numbers tonight. The question will be on the defensive end, and that’s just never a sure thing with BYU.
Situationally, it’s a damn good spot for BYU. No bargain on the price, of course, but value is not the incentive for me here. I will bank on BYU staying hot and delivering knockout win in their home finale. This play is already on my Thursday personal card and BYU minus the points is the choice.