It’s an SEC vs. Big 12 clash in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, as the Texas Longhorns attempt to upset the 1.5-point favorite BYU Cougars at 7:25 p.m. ET on TBS.
With the Longhorns sliding a bit and the Cougars having cooled off after a lava-hot start to the season, neither side carries a ton of momentum into Thursday. That said, both sides have everything to play for to stay alive this week.
Below, we’ll break down our Texas vs. BYU prediction on spread for Thursday’s game. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Texas vs. BYU Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
It’s been a long season for Texas, who owned a 17-9 record on February 17. Since that point, the Longhorns are just 5-5, including four losses of 10 or more points.
Despite that, head coach Sean Miller’s crew took down NC State in a 68-66 thriller to move on to the field of 64 teams. Now playing with house money to an extent, Texas attempts to show it’s here to stay.
At one stage of this terrific college basketball season, head coach Kevin Young’s BYU crew was 17-2 and looked destined to make a deep tourney run. Since then, however, the Cougars have gone 6-9 and don’t look like the same team anymore.
Nonetheless, BYU has managed to rip off three wins in its last four opportunities and has one of the nation’s best players in projected top 2026 NBA Draft pick, F AJ Dybantsa.
Dating back to 1949, this is the eighth time Texas and BYU will meet up in a game. The Cougars own a commanding 5-2 series lead but the scoring differential is all knotted up.
Texas vs. BYU Spread, Over/Under
Texas enters Thursday’s game as 1.5-point underdogs, returning a 2.17x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
BYU is a favorite with a 1.69x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: BYU Cougars -1.5 (1.75x payout)
- Over/Under: 159.5 (2x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Longhorns 2.17x | Cougars 1.69x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Need more Bracket help? Here's our bracket pool strategy, tips, and historical trends
Texas vs. BYU Prediction on Spread – 3/19/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your Texas vs. BYU prediction on spread for Thursday, March 19 on PrizePicks.
- BYU is 12-14 against the spread as a favorite this year, with Texas being 9-5 ATS in the underdog role.
- According to KenPom, the Cougars are 20th in net rating at +25.17. The Longhorns sit 37th at +19.12.
- Both offenses are potent, as BYU ranks 16th with a 124.7 adjusted offensive efficiency while Texas is 23rd at 123.2.
- What could separate these programs is the turnover battle. Both sides are in the top 100 at protecting the rock on offense but, per Bart Torvik, the Longhorns are 348th on defense with a measly 13.3% turnover clip.
- The midrange battle in this one could get ugly. Per CBB Shot Charts, both defenses allow 38.4% or worse on short midrange looks and 35.9% or worse on long midrange ones.
- Dybantsa is playing some of his best basketball at the perfect time. The true freshman forward is averaging 27.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists over his last 10 games.
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Make Texas vs. BYU Picks on PrizePicks
Texas vs. BYU picks are just one of many ways hoops fans can get in on the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
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