Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Providence looks much better today on their home court. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead BYU 46-34.
Providence entered the matchup with three straight defeats and they’re well on their way to making it four. Can they turn things around, or will BYU hand them another loss? Only time will tell.
Who’s Playing
BYU Cougars @ Providence Friars
Current Records: BYU 6-1, Providence 5-3
How To Watch
- When: Tuesday, December 3, 2024 at 8:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Amica Mutual Pavilion — Providence, Rhode Island
- TV: Fox Sports 1
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $12.00
What to Know
The BYU Cougars’ road trip will continue as they head out to face the Providence Friars at 8:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Amica Mutual Pavilion. The Cougars are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 87.4 points per game this season.
Last Friday, BYU earned a 72-61 win over North Carolina State. The 72-point effort marked the Cougars’ lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn’t matter.
BYU’s victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Richie Saunders, who scored 13 points.
BYU smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 15 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Providence has relied on a stalwart defense averaging 63.13 points allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Friday. They lost to Indiana on the road by a decisive 89-73 margin. The Friars’ defeat continues a disappointing trend for the team, making it three in a row.
Providence’s loss came about despite a quality game from Jayden Pierre, who earned 22 points plus six assists. That’s the most assists Pierre has posted since back in December of 2023. Corey Floyd Jr. was another key player, posting 14 points in addition to five rebounds.
BYU’s win bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Providence, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-3.
Keep an eye on the arc in Tuesday’s game: BYU has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 11.3 threes per game. However, it’s not like Providence struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 9.6. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Looking ahead, BYU is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 5.5 points. This contest will be their eighth straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 3-4 against the spread).
Odds
BYU is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Providence, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Cougars as a 4.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 142.5 points.
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