Six-seed BYU and 3-seed Wisconsin both remain in Denver to face each other on Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The game is at 7:45 PM ET on CBS. Can Wisconsin cover the 1.5-point spread as neutral site favorites? Keep reading for our BYU vs. Wisconsin prediction.
The BYU Cougars are 25-9 straight up overall this year. They are 21-13 ATS this season.
The Wisconsin Badgers are 27-9 straight up overall this year. They are 23-13 ATS this season.
BYU vs. Wisconsin Matchup & Betting Odds
827 BYU Cougars (+1.5) vs. 828 Wisconsin Badgers (-1.5); o/u 154.5
7:45 p.m. ET, Saturday, March 22, 2025
Ball Arena, Denver, CO
TV: CBS
BYU vs. Wisconsin Public Betting Information
Our CBB Public Betting Information page indicates that 56% of public bettors are currently backing BYU when it comes to the spread. This information is subject to change throughout the day, however, so be sure to check the link so you’re receiving the most up-to-date public betting data.
BYU Cougars Game Notes
Cougars forward Richie Saunders was terrific in his team’s 80-71 first-round win over VCU on Thursday. In that game, the 6’5” junior put up 16 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 30 minutes. Saunders shot 6 of 12 from the field and 3 of 3 from the foul line in the victory.
BYU center Fousseyni Traore made an impact off the bench in his team’s game on Thursday. In 19 minutes, the Mali native recorded 13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 5 made free throws. Traore is fourth on the team in scoring with 8.7 points per game this year.
Wisconsin Badgers Game Notes
Badgers guard John Blackwell was superb in his team’s 85-66 win over Montana on Thursday. The sophomore from Bloomfield Hills, MI logged 19 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 33 minutes of game action. Blackwell shot 7 of 12 from the floor and 5 of 6 from the charity stripe in the win.
Badgers forward Steven Crowl also played well against the Grizzlies on Thursday. The 7-footer from Eagan, MN registered 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 made three-pointers in 26 minutes. Crowl is third on the team in scoring with 9.9 points per game on the campaign.
BYU vs. Wisconsin CBB Betting Trends
BYU is 5-10 ATS in NCAA Tournament games since the start of the 2005 season.
The Cougars are 50-69-1 ATS in neutral-site games since the beginning of the 2005 season.
Wisconsin is 6-2 ATS in neutral-site games this season.
Wisconsin is 15-11 ATS after a win this season.
BYU vs. Wisconsin CBB Prediction:
I like this spot for Wisconsin. The Badgers come into this contest as only 1.5-point favorites, and the public has largely sided with BYU by a margin of 56% to 44%. So the Badgers are the higher seed but only need to win by 2 points to cover, and the majority of the public thinks BYU is going to win outright.
A few numbers drive the case for the Badgers. Wisconsin is 10-2 ATS when playing an opponent on equal rest and 7-5 ATS in non-conference games this season. What’s more, the Badgers are 16-10 ATS as a favorite and 3-1 ATS when playing on 1 or 0 days of rest this season. For all of those reasons, I’m picking the Badgers. The pick is Wisconsin -1.5 points over BYU at Bovada.lv.