BYU Cougars vs. Dayton Flyers Picks and Prediction for Friday, November 28, 2025
It’s the championship game of the Terry’s Chocolate ESPN Events Invitational as a team from the Big 12 takes on one from the Atlantic 10 on the hardwood as part of the Magic Bracket in the Sunshine State Friday night as the #9 BYU Cougars take on the Dayton Flyers and we have you covered with our BYU vs. Dayton prediction. BYU dumped Miami 72-62 at home in their first round matchup Thursday, covering the line as a 7.5-point favorite. Dayton dropped Georgetown 84-79 in overtime in their first round tilt Thursday, covering the line as a 1.5-point favorite. In the all-time series between the teams, the Cougars took the lone previous meeting, 79-75, in overtime as part of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas November 25, 2022. Read more about this BYU vs. Dayton prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
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Cougars Look to Pick up Title
BYU shut down a high-octane Miami squad in their first round matchup to advance to the title game here. The Cougars improved to 5-1 on the year and look to add another win here to pick up the tournament title. Against Miami, BYU trailed by as many as six in the first half before settling for a four-point deficit at intermission. In the second half, the Cougars trailed by one with 16 minutes to play but went on a 10-0 run to go up 49-40 with 14:18 to play. They didn’t let Miami closer than seven the rest of the way as they went on to the win. BYU shot 45.5% from the field, including nine of 19 from three-point range, and owned a 42-39 edge on the glass in the win. Kennard Davis Jr. led the Cougars with 18 points in the contest.
The Cougars are putting up 84.7 points a game so far this season, putting them 64th in the nation in scoring offense. BYU is grabbing 39.8 boards per game (105th) and dishes out an average of 13.5 assists a night, which is 218th in the country. The Cougars are very good on the defensive end of the floor as they are 91st in the nation with 67.5 points per game allowed this year. Richie Saunders is second on the Cougars as he puts up 18.7 points plus 5.3 rebounds per game. AJ Dybantsa (19.2 points, 6.8 rebounds) and Robert Wright III (16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists) are solid secondary scorers. Kennard Davis Jr. (12 points), Dawson Baker, Keba Keita, Dominique Diomande, Aleksej Kostic, Mihailo Boskovic, Khadim Mboup, Tyler Mrus and Xavier Staton are all key contributors for coach Kevin Young. BYU shoots 48.1% from the floor as a team, which is 70th in Division I. The Cougars sink 9.2 three-pointers per game (#96 in the nation) while shooting 35.9% from downtown. BYU is above average at the free throw line, sinking 75% of their chances this season, leaving them 42nd in Division I.
Key Injury Report for BYU:
- No Key Injuries
Dayton Shooting for Fifth Straight Win
Dayton ran their win streak to four games as they took down Georgetown in overtime Thursday in their first round tilt. The Flyers improved to 6-1 on the year and now try to topple a top-10 foe here. Against Georgetown, Dayton led 13-3 five minutes into the game and took their biggest lead at 27-12 with 9:03 to go in the first half before settling for a nine-point margin at the half. The Flyers pushed their lead back to 67-53 with 5:46 to go in regulation only to get outscored 16-2 the rest of the way to force overtime. In the extra session, Dayton gave up a three-pointer to trail 72-69 but answered with an 8-0 run and led the rest of the way for the win. The Flyers shot 40.7% from the floor, including 11 of 26 from three-point range, and knocked down 25 of 32 free throw attempts in the game. Amael L’Etang led the way with 18 points and six rebounds for the Flyers in the win.
The Flyers come into this contest putting up 79 points per game, which is 187th in the nation, on the season. Dayton pulls down 34.3 rebounds per contest and hands out 14.9 assists per game on the year. The Flyers are above average defensively, ranking 68th in scoring defense as they give up an average of 68.6 points per game. Javon Bennett leads the team with 16.1 points and 3.9 assists per game. Amael L’Etang (13.4 points, 6.9 rebounds) and De’Shayne Montgomery (14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals) are solid contributors. Keonte Jones, Jaiun Simon, Jacob Conner, Bryce Heard, Jordan Derkack, Damon Friery, Evan Dickey and Malcolm Thomas are important role players for coach Anthony Grant. Dayton shoots 46% from the field as a team on the year, which is 146th in Division I. The Flyers sink 7.4 three-pointers a game while shooting 31.9% from beyond the arc, which is 300th in the nation. Dayton is shooting 73.1% at the free throw line this season, putting them 147th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Dayton:
- No Key Injuries
BYU vs. Dayton Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Earle Sports Bets | +2,298.00 |
| 2 |  Ross Benjamin | +1,840.00 |
| 3 |  Rob Vincilleti | +1,757.00 |
| 4 |  David Hess | +1,745.00 |
| 5 |  Dan Kaiser | +987.00 |
BYU vs. Dayton Spread Pick
- BYU (4 units)
Dayton showed character and grit as they regrouped after blowing that 14-point lead in the final six minutes of regulation to down Georgetown. Beating the Hoyas and taking on a team ranked in the top 10 in the nation that boasts a surefire top five pick in next year's NBA Draft is comparing apples to oranges. BYU showed that they can play stiff defense as they held Miami 30 points under their season average Thursday. The Cougars have depth and with the return of Davis Jr. after he missed a couple games with a personal issue, they are even stronger in their rotation. Dayton is tough but BYU’s size and experience is the difference here as the Cougars emerge with the win.
BYU vs. Dayton Over/Under Pick
- Under (4 units)
BYU has seen the under post a 4-2 mark in their six games on the season. On the year, the Cougars are 5th in offensive efficiency, 70th in effective field goal percentage (55.5%), 7th in turnover percentage (12.4%), 55th in two-point shooting (58.9%) and 39th in free throw shooting on the year. BYU is 171st in tempo with 69.8 possessions on the year. They are 18th in defensive efficiency, 69th in effective field goal percentage defense (46.6%) and 93rd by allowing offensive rebounds on only 27.6% of their opponent’s misses. Dayton comes into this game having stayed under the number in five of their seven games this season. The Flyers stand 45th in defensive efficiency, 10th in forced turnover percentage (23.7%), 74th in opposing free throw rate (.308) and 48th in two-point defense (44.7%) on the year. Dayton is a slow-paced squad, ranking 247th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom with 68.3 possessions a game. Seeing how both teams can play defense and the Flyers will try slowing things down, take the under in this contest.
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