VCU Rams vs BYU Cougars Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/20/25

One of the most anticipated games of Thursday’s March Madness slate comes in the East Region, where the BYU Cougars will take on the VCU Rams in a matchup of two excellent teams in Denver. The one thing that worries me about the Rams in this game is the fact that they just played a very physical game against in-state rival George Mason last Sunday to win the Atlantic 10 conference tournament. Now, the Rams will have to play a slightly more rested BYU team in a setting that the Cougars should be a bit more comfortable win. With that said, I still like VCU to pull off the small upset in this game, so I’ll certainly take the points with the Rams.

Much like a few other contests in the first round, this game features an extreme contrast in styles of play between these two teams. BYU is largely a jump-shooting based team that has the ability to knock down shots from all over the court, thanks to the myriad of quality shooters that head coach Kevin Young can have on the floor at any given moment. Conversely, VCU is a team that prides itself on shutting down its opponents, as the Rams are the top defense in the nation in effective field goal percentage, while also sitting at 4th nationally in 2-point percentage defense. The Rams are also known for their high-pressure defense, which should see consistent success against a BYU team that is no stranger to turning the ball over. BYU is outside the top 200 in turnover percentage on the season, and the Cougars just committed well over 20 turnovers in a recent win over Iowa State (a game where BYU blew a 20-point second half lead). With that in mind, it’s hard not to back a VCU defense that also defends the 3-point very well, which is obviously where this BYU team wants to live. The Rams are also rock solid on the glass (11th in offensive rebounding rate), so they just hold too many advantages for me to overlook them in this matchup.

VCU vs BYU prediction: VCU +3.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to 3.

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