Villanova Wildcats at BYU Cougars, Odds, Preview, Picks and Prediction for Monday, November 3, 2025
Use Code WWWC The college basketball season begins Monday, and the BYU Cougars will take on the Villanova Wildcats in the Hall of Fame Series from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As of Sunday morning, the BYU Cougars were listed as an 8.5-point favorite for this opening game, with the total available as low as 152.5 and as high as 154.
College basketball involves a lot of research, but our experts have you covered. Check out our NCAAB picks for opening day and beyond.
New era for Villanova
Last season, Villanova went 21-15 overall, and its season ended with a 104-98 overtime loss to UCF in the Crown Semifinals. The Wildcats finished the year ranked 56th overall by KenPom, including 26th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 108th defensively.
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The Wildcats were senior-dominant last season and lost their top four scorers, led by Eric Dixon (23.3 ppg). The top returning player is Tyler Perkins, a 6'4 junior guard who averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season.
Villanova is led by head coach Kevin Willard, who spent the last three seasons at Maryland, which included guiding the Terrapins to a 27-9 record and a Sweet 16 appearance last season.
With so much production from last season gone, along with a coaching change, as expected the Wildcats roster will heavily been impacted by players added through the transfer portal. One of Villanova’s biggest offseason additions, transfer guard Devin Askew, who averaged 18.9 points per game at Long Beach State last season, will miss the start of the season due to a knee injury.
Other key transfers added to the roster include Bryce Lindsay, a 6'3 guard who averaged 13.4 points per game at James Madison last season while shooting just under 41% from three; 6-'6 Temple transfer Zion Stanford (13.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg); and 6'10 Grand Canyon transfer Duke Brennan (10.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg).
Time to meet AJ Dybantsa
The games are not played on paper or through preseason rankings, but the BYU Cougars are expected to be one of the most exciting teams in college basketball and even a national title contender. BYU opens the season ranked No. 8 by both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll.
Last season, BYU went 26-10 and lost to Alabama 113-88 in the Sweet 16. They finished as the No. 26-rated team by KenPom overall, ninth on offense and 82nd on the defensive end. The Cougars return 6’5 guard Richie Saunders, their leading scorer from last season (16.5 ppg, 1.2 spg), and their leading rebounder, Keba Keita (7.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.2 bpg), a 6’8 physical inside presence on both ends of the floor.
BYU also went to work in the portal, adding 6’6 wing Kennard Davis (16.6 ppg at Southern Illinois), 6’1 guard Robert Wright III (11.5 ppg, 4.2 apg at Baylor), and 6’7 forward Tyler Mrus (9.7 ppg at Idaho). If that doesn’t sound impressive enough, they also added the No. 1 player from the class of 2025, 6’9 forward Anicet "A.J." Dybantsa. Several mock drafts and scouts expect Dybantsa to be a top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
BYU head coach Kevin Young will be in his second season leading the program. Before coming to BYU, Young spent an extensive amount of time as an assistant coach at the NBA level.
Villanova vs. BYU predictions
ATS pick for Villanova vs. BYU
- BYU -8.5 (4 units)
When just looking at the names of these two teams on paper, it may feel like Villanova is a live dog getting this many points on a neutral floor. Kevin Willard has a strong track record of success, but he doesn’t have much returning from last season. BYU’s roster, top to bottom, is deeper from returning talent and the portal. They also have the luxury of continuity at head coach and the addition of a potential future NBA star in AJ Dybantsa. I have to go chalk and take BYU.
Total pick for Villanova vs. BYU
- Over 152.5 (4 units)
BYU was 170th in adjusted tempo last season. Villanova was only 351st in adjusted tempo; however, Kevin Willard’s Maryland team was 66th in adjusted tempo, which means under the new coach, I expect the Wildcats to play much faster this season. BYU was 9-5 to the over in non-conference games last season. With the bright lights and national spotlight in Las Vegas, I expect to see points. Grab the over.
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