BYU Cougars vs. Kansas State Wildcats Picks, Prediction, Odds and Line Movement for Saturday, January 3, 2026
It’s a conference tilt between foes from the Big 12 on the hardwood in the Sunflower State as the #10 BYU Cougars take on the Kansas State Wildcats Saturday afternoon and we have you covered with our BYU vs. Kansas State prediction. BYU rolled to a 109-81 home win over Eastern Washington in their previous contest December 22, covering the line as a 20.5-point favorite. Kansas State edged UL Monroe 94-85 at home in their previous contest Sunday, failing to cover the line as a 32.5-point favorite. In the all-time series between the teams, each team has five wins with the Cougars picking up an 80-65 home win in the most recent matchup February 15, 2025. Read more about this BYU vs. Kansas State prediction! Struggling with handicapping? Try our NCAAB Predictions!
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Cougars Seeking to Keep Roaring
BYU earned their ninth straight win as they rolled past Eastern Washington at home in their previous game ahead of the holiday break. The Cougars ran their mark to 12-1 on the year and look to keep rolling as they take the floor in their conference opener. Against Eastern Washington, BYU was in a fight for the opening 20 minutes as they trailed by as many as four before settling for a 53-48 advantage at the half. The Cougars opened the second half on a 14-4 run to go up 67-52 and weren’t challenged from there. BYU shot 53.5% from the field, including 16 of 42 from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 42-31 in the game. AJ Dybantsa had his first career triple-double with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the win.
The Cougars are putting up 87.4 points a game so far this season, putting them 38th in the nation in scoring offense. BYU is grabbing 39.3 boards per game (77th) and dishes out an average of 15.6 assists a night, which is 118th in the country. The Cougars are very good on the defensive end of the floor as they are 48th in the nation with 66.6 points per game allowed this year. Richie Saunders is second on the Cougars as he puts up 18.6 points plus 4.8 rebounds per game. AJ Dybantsa (23.1 points, 7.2 rebounds) and Robert Wright III (16.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists) are solid secondary scorers. Kennard Davis Jr. (8.4 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 50.2% from the floor as a team, which is 24th in Division I. The Cougars sink 9.2 three-pointers per game (#91 in the nation) while shooting 36.8% from downtown. BYU is above average at the free throw line, sinking 75.6% of their chances this season, leaving them 6 1st in Division I.
Key Injury Report for BYU:
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Guard Dawson Baker (knee) is out.
Kansas State Looking to Pick Up Marquee Win
Kansas State won their fourth straight game as they took down UL Monroe at home Sunday, though it was a much tighter game than expected. The Wildcats improved to 9-4 on the year and try to add a big win to their resume here. Against UL Monroe, Kansas State trailed by six three minutes into the game before regrouping. The Wildcats took a 46-36 lead at the half and saw the Warhawks get within four with 6:11 to go but managed to keep UL Monroe at bay the rest of the way. Kansas State shot 47.1% from the field, including 10 of 35 from three-point range, and controlled the glass by a 43-30 margin in the contest. P.J. Haggerty led the Wildcats with 24 points and eight rebounds in the win.
The Wildcats are averaging 88.5 points a game so far this season as they are above average offensively: they stand 27th in scoring offense. Kansas State is collecting 38 rebounds a night while dishing out an average of 19.6 assists (12th) per game. The Wildcats are below average on the defensive end, ranking 285th in the nation by allowing 77.6 points per contest. PJ Haggerty leads Kansas State in the scoring department as he puts up 22.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Nate Johnson (12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds), David Castillo (13.3 points) and Khamari McGriff (10.1 points, 4.5 rebounds) are solid secondary scoring options. Abdi Bashir Jr. (12.8 points), C.J. Jones, Andrej Kostic, Mobi Ikegwuruke, Elias Rapieque, Dorin Buca and Taj Manning all have to contribute for coach Jerome Tang if the team hopes to have success. The Wildcats are shooting 49.4% from the floor as a team this season, putting them 41st in Division I. Kansas State is hitting 10.8 triples a night while shooting 39.9% from beyond the arc, which is ninth in the country. The Wildcats are average at the free throw line as they sink 71.6% of their chances from the stripe, putting them 187th in the nation.
Key Injury Report for Kansas State:
- No Key Injuries
BYU vs. Kansas State Pick
| # | Handicapper | Profit |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Insiders Room | +1,793.00 |
| 2 |  Tony Karpinski | +1,731.00 |
| 3 |  Jesse Schule | +1,599.00 |
| 4 |  Rob Vinciletti | +1,284.00 |
| 5 |  David Delano | +1,232.00 |
BYU vs. Kansas State Moneyline Pick
- BYU +120 (4 units)
These teams are capable of putting up big offensive numbers in non-conference action. We’ll see if Kansas State can keep up on either end of the floor with the Cougars here. The Wildcats are 7-2 at home on the year while the Cougars are playing their first true road game of the year. BYU does own wins over Clemson and Villanova while suffering a two-point defeat against UConn in Boston. The Cougars have one of the most dynamic players in the nation in Dybantsa and they are sound defensively to backstop their offensive attack. Look for BYU to take their talent on both ends of the floor and earn the road win here over Kansas State.
BYU vs. Kansas State Over/Under Pick
- Over 144.5 (4 units)
BYU has seen the under post a 9-4 mark in their 13 games on the season. On the year, the Cougars are 9th in offensive efficiency, 20th in effective field goal percentage (57.7%), 27th in turnover percentage (14.3%), 35th in two-point shooting (59.4%) and 61st in free throw shooting on the year. BYU is 79th in tempo with 71.2 possessions on the year. They are 22nd in defensive efficiency, 46th in effective field goal percentage defense (46.6%) and 102nd by allowing offensive rebounds on only 28.6% of their opponent’s misses. Kansas State are 55th in offensive efficiency, 17th in effective field goal percentage (57.9%), 41st in field goal percentage and ninth in three-point shooting. The Wildcats are 17th in adjusted tempo according to KenPom with 73.8 possessions per game. With both teams content to run and capable offensively, this game winds up over the number.
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