BYU Cougars vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 01/31/26

One of the marquee games in college basketball this weekend comes in the Big 12, where a showdown between a couple of future top-5 NBA Draft picks will take place at Phog Allen Fieldhouse between the BYU Cougars and Kansas Jayhawks. All eyes will be on this game from basketball fans across the country, especially from those who are hoping to get a look at Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa in a matchup that pits these superstar freshmen against each other. Both of these teams are certainly capable of making a deep postseason run, and there are compelling reasons to look at each side heading into this one. However, given the hype and expectations surrounding Saturday’s contest, there is no way I’m going to fade Kansas at the Phog, especially since the Jayhawks are laying a relatively short number at home compared to projections.

First off, it’s important to consider that Peterson will likely not be 100% healthy heading into this game, as the freshman phenom has been recovering from a sprained ankle he suffered against Colorado back on January 20. The latest injury is just one in a series of ailments for Peterson this season, as hamstring and calf issues have limited him to just 10 games played to this point. Despite all of that, when Peterson does play, he clearly looks like the best player in the nation and a guard that is capable of leading Kansas to the Final Four. Bill Self’s team has also consistently improved over the course of the season, as the supporting cast has proven itself to be very capable with, or without Peterson. Melvin Council Jr. has done a nice job of running an offense that is on the rise, while Flory Bidunga and Tre White anchor a defense that is 11th in defensive efficiency and ranks 3rd in 2-point defense allowed over the past month (Barttorvik).

Conversely, BYU has been pretty up-and-down over the past 3 weeks. In fact, the Cougars are just 44th at Barttorvik since January 8 and we’ve seen some real cracks in the armor for BYU, particularly on defense. That doesn’t bode well in an extremely hostile environment against a Kansas offense that has been trending up (13th in adjusted efficiency since January 13), especially at home. The Cougars defense doesn’t force turnovers and they have been very poor at defending the 3-point arc (280th in 3-point percentage defense) in January. With BYU’s recent struggles in mind, along with factoring in the improved play of the Jayhawks and their prowess at home, it’s hard to ignore the signs with Kansas in this one. I’ll lay the points and take my chances with the hosts.

BYU vs Kansas prediction: Kansas -3.5 available at time of publishing. Playable to Kansas -4.5

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