No. 13 BYU travels to the Sunflower State to challenge No. 14 Kansas on Saturday in a top-25 matchup at Allen Fieldhouse at 3:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. The Cougars (17-3, 5-2 Big 12) are looking for a big one on the road after nearly toppling unbeaten, No. 1 Arizona at home on Monday. The Jayhawks (15-5, 5-2 Big 12) are back on track with wins in four of its last five games after opening conference play with losses at UCF and West Virginia.
BYU vs. Kansas Betting Odds
Kansas has opened up on ESPNBet as a 3.5-point favorite, with an over/under point total set at 157.5 points. Other books opened Kansas at -4. The line has held steady as of Saturday morning for most sports books, settling on KU -3.5 or -4. And the over/under has moved up slightly to 158 or 158.5 in most sports books.
BYU vs. Kansas Injury Report
It’s all clear at Kansas, including Darryn Peterson, and here’s what BYU is dealing with.
KEY STORYLINE: DYBANTSA-PETERSON REMATCH?
BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Kansas’ Darryn Peterson entered the season as two of the country’s highest-rated recruits in history, and are both poised for a first-round ticket to the league when the latest college basketball season comes to a close.
On Thursday, recently-hospitalized Kansas coach Bill Self said he expects Peterson, who missed the Kansas State game last Saturday, to be ready, but also noted he hadn’t seen the freshman guard in-person since Tuesday.
Last February, Peterson, pouring out 58 points for Prolific Prep (Florida), and Dybantsa, dropping 49 points for Utah Prep, went toe-to-toe as high school recruits; Prolific Prep emerged the winner 88-86 in a first-look at the two top-tier NBA prospects.
MATCH UP TO WATCH: CAN BIDUNGA SHUT DOWN KEITA
While plenty of eyes will be on the Dybantsa-Peterson battle, Kansas sophomore Flory Bidunga and BYU senior Keba Keita will answer an interesting frontcourt debate as two of the Big 12’s most-exciting bigs. Flory has two inches on Keita and is pulling down 1.2 more rebounds per night; That said, Keita has two seasons on Bidunga and will be presenting the Jayhawk with arguably his toughest assignment of the regular season.
PREDICTION: KANSAS 81, BYU 79
We’re in for a potential instant classic with these two. Factor in Allen Fieldhouse and tickets starting at $187 and you pretty much have everything you need to know. Aside from doing numbers on television, Dybantsa and Peterson are meeting for what’s undoubtedly the first and last matchup of their respective college careers. Speaking of those careers, Peterson freshman season has met just half of Dybantsa’s 20 appearances this season, and it’ll be interesting to see how available Peterson is following an ankle setback at Colorado. Should Peterson not play or leave the game any capacity, this thing will remain a one-possession thriller with a spotlight on Bidunga and Keita. Both teams are playing some of their best basketball as of late, and BYU’s comeback against Arizona puts this pick on thin ice.
