Texas (11) vs. BYU (6) Betting Odds, Player Props, ATS Picks

The odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, BYU F AJ Dybantsa, makes his NCAA Tournament debut tonight in the West Region Round of 64 clash between 6-seed BYU and 11-seed Texas.

The Longhorns survived a close First Four call vs. NC State on Tuesday night in Dayton, then journeyed all the way to Portland, Oregon, on a quick turnaround ahead of tonight’s showdown.

Texas, which struggled defensively this year, is a slight underdog tonight.

BYU has been missing one of its top scorers since Richie Saunders tore his ACL in mid-February. Without Saunders down the stretch, BYU won just two of its final six regular-season games, beating Iowa State and Texas Tech and losing to Arizona, UCF, West Virginia and Cincinnati.

How To Watch Texas vs. BYU In NCAA Tournament First Round

Time: 7:25 p.m. ET
TV: TBS

Texas (11) vs. BYU (6) Betting Odds: Spread, Moneyline, Total

Texas vs. BYU Player Prop Bets: Can Longhorns Contain Dybantsa?

Dybantsa scored 40, 27 and 26 points, respectively, in three games in the Big 12 Tournament.

Since the calendar flipped from January to February, Dybantsa has taken 20 field-goal attempts in nine of his last 13 games, a stretch that includes three games with a healthy Saunders.

Given his recent volume, it’s no surprise that Dybantsa is listed at -110 to score 29+ points at DraftKings. FanDuel, on the other hand, has set Dybanta’s point total at 26.5 points (over -114, under -114), while bet365 prices Dybantsa at -120 to go over 27.5 points and -105 to go under that number.

I’m not quite skeptical enough to bet on Dybantsa to go under his points total, but this market is a clear stay-away.

BYU G Robert Wright III Over 19.5 Points (+100 at FanDuel) — 1 unit

Given all the attention that Dybantsa will command from Texas tonight, his running mate is the best player to target when it comes to Texas vs. BYU player props.

Former Baylor star Robert Wright III has been a dangerous shooter this year (42.2 percent from 3-point range on 4 3PA per game), and he’s due for a big night after shooting a combined 15-for-37 (4-for-7 from 3) against Kansas State, West Virginia and Houston in the Big 12 Tournament. Before that, Wright finished the regular season with at least 20 points in each of his last four games.

It only helps Wright’s case that he has played 35 minutes or more in 13 of his last 17 games. For the most part, Wright played well in his team’s biggest games this season, with 28 points in a loss to Texas Tech, 18 in a loss to Kansas, 17 in a loss to Houston and 27 in his team’s win over TT in the regular-season finale.

Against a Longhorns backcourt that gave up big nights to several of the top guards in the SEC, including 34 to Tennessee’s Ja’Kobi Gillespie, 28 to Arkansas’s Darius Acuff Jr. and 21 to Alabama’s Labaron Philon Jr., Wright offers a ton of value at even-money.

Trade On Texas vs. BYU NCAA Tournament First Round

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Texas vs. BYU Analysis, Prediction, Best ATS Bets

BYU will not only have the best player on the court tonight, but it also has a veteran guard in Wright who should be able to light up the Longhorns, especially if they go out of their way to make someone besides Dybantsa beat them.

Texas is an athletic squad that rebounds well and knows how to get to the free-throw line, but one of BYU’s biggest strengths is limiting its opponent’ trips to the free-throw line, and the Cougars are plenty capable of outscoring Texas if this becomes a track meet.

Even without Saunders, Dybantsa and Wright are capable of leading BYU to a high-scoring win against a Texas team that is potent offensively, but struggles to force turnovers (the Horns’ defensive turnover rate of 13.3 is No. 348 nationally, per Barttorvik.com) and also allows a ton of free throws. Texas is 306th in the nation in free-throw rate defense at 40.4

Prediction: BYU to advance

Best bets against the spread:

BYU -2.5 (best odds: -108 at DK, FD)
BYU Alt Team Total Over 81.5 (+105 at DK)

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