BYU Basketball opens as 2-point favorite over Utah

After a 6-3 start that included wins over Houston, UCLA and Virginia Tech, BYU now welcomes back one of the best players in college basketball in Yoeli Childs after a 9-game NCAA suspension.

BYU will need Yoeli in this one, as Vegas opened with BYU as a two-point road favorite over Utah. KenPom also sees a tight game, giving BYU a 60% chance to win and predicting a 74-71 score in favor of the Cougars.

Utah is 5-2 and has had an up and down start to the season. They have solid wins over Nevada and Minnesota, but have since lost games to Coastal Carolina and Tulane. 6-foot-6 sophomore Timmy Allen is the star of the team, leading the Utes with 19.4 ppg and 7.7 rpg.

Utah also good size, starting a 7-footer and 6-foot-9 guy in the front court. BYU has been undersized in nearly every game this season, and they will need to be formidable on the glass once again against the bigger Utes. BYU also owns the experience edge in this one, as the Utes have just one senior and one junior on the roster. The rest of the roster is made of 4 sophomores and 11 freshmen.

BYU-Utah tipoff at 6pm MST in the Huntsman Center.