BYU Basketball Takes on Arizona State in the Vegas Showdown
The BYU Cougars and the Arizona State Sun Devils will face off in the semifinals of the Vegas Showdown on Thursday night. The Cougars are coming off a dominant 93-50 win over Morgan State, while the Sun Devils are 2-1 on the season after defeating UMass Lowell.
BYU Preview
BYU is 4-0 on the season and has been impressive on both ends of the court. The Cougars are averaging 87.8 points per game and shooting 48.3% from the field. They are also holding their opponents to 65.5 points per game and shooting 39.4% from the field.
Fousseyni Traore and Jaxson Robinson are the leading scorers for BYU. Traore is averaging 19.8 points per game, while Robinson is averaging 15.3 points per game.
Arizona State Preview
Arizona State is 2-1 on the season and has been inconsistent on offense. The Sun Devils are averaging 73.3 points per game and shooting 41.3% from the field. They are also turning the ball over 16.3 times per game.
DJ Horne is the leading scorer for Arizona State. Horne is averaging 17.7 points per game and shooting 47.4% from the field.
What to Watch For
The matchup between Traore and Horne should be one of the most interesting to watch. Traore is a physical forward who is a force in the paint, while Horne is a more versatile scorer who can shoot from outside.
The Cougars are also a very good rebounding team. They are averaging 41.5 rebounds per game and are outrebounding their opponents by 9.8 rebounds per game.
Prediction
This should be a close game, but I think BYU has the edge. The Cougars are a more experienced team and they have been playing better basketball this season.
I predict that BYU will win the game by a score of 78-73.
