Texas vs. BYU First Round Game Preview, Picks, Betting Odds & Data

By Thom Cunningham | Mar 18, 2026, 6:35pm

The BYU Cougars will look to start their March Madness campaign behind AJ Dybantsa when they face the Texas Longhorns, coming off a play-in victory during their First Four encounter with NC State. Let’s dive into all the betting data, odds and trends to consider for what should be a fun matchup in the West Region.

Texas vs. BYU Game Information

Date: Thursday, Mar. 19, 2026
Time: 7:25 p.m. ET
Network: TBS
Region: West
Location: Portland, Oregon
Venue: Moda Center

Texas vs. BYU Betting Resources

Texas vs. BYU Betting Odds

Texas vs. BYU Betting Data

Texas Longhorns

Region Odds:
Sweet 16 Odds:
Elite Eight Odds:
Final Four Odds:
National Title Odds:

Seed: No. 11
Record: 19-14
Conference: SEC
PS/G: 83.8
PA/G: 76.8
ORtg: 120.1
DRtg: 110.1

BYU Cougars

Region Odds:
Sweet 16 Odds:
Elite Eight Odds:
Final Four Odds:
National Title Odds:

Seed: No. 6
Record: 23-11
Conference: Big 12
PS/G: 83.9
PA/G: 75.3
ORtg: 118.7
DRtg: 106.5

Texas vs. BYU Key Players

Texas Longhorns

Dailyn Swain – Last Game: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Tramon Mark – Last Game: 17 points, 5 rebounds
Matas Vokietaitis – Last Game: 15 points, 8 rebounds

BYU Cougars

AJ Dybantsa (FR) – 25.3 ppg; 6.7 rpg; 3.8 apg
Robert Wright (SO) – 18.2 ppg; 4.7 app

Texas vs. BYU Betting Analysis

The betting insights seem pretty clear-cut, so let’s start with the point total. The total should go Under based on the trends given for both schools, with BYU hitting the Under in three of four games while Texas has hit the Under in four of six games – including its First Four encounter with NC State. However, BYU has eclipsed 85 points or more in four straight non-conference games – so some concern there. However, Texas has gone Under 157 total points in 10 of 12 games when facing the Big 12 during the daytime (game in Portland).

The spread also seems pretty cut-and-dry, with Texas failing to cover six of its last eight games. BYU is also on a current 4-0 ATS run, while also covering six of nine games overall. Not only that, but the Cougars are 7-3 ATS when playing on a neutral court.

Texas vs. BYU Best Bet, Pick & Prediction

The line continues to shift from -1.5 to -2.5, so if you want BYU like we do, then try to catch the -1.5 moving target. For the sakes of simplicity here, we’ll go with a -2-point spread, meeting in the middle. The total is tough to take despite the Under trends given for both schools, as our score projection slightly goes Over the given total. There are enough trends to support BYU winning and (possibly) covering, as our only real concern becomes the No. 11 play-in trend, in that at least one of the No. 11 play-in seeds typically wins their next March Madness game. If you like Texas instead, feel free to take them or try the Under based on total trends.

Score Prediction: BYU 81, Texas 79
Best Bet: BYU -2 (-110)

Photo Credit: AP/Rob Gray

Thom Cunningham

Thom Cunningham is the Lineups.com News Editor and has been involved with sports media for almost two decades at Spectrum, VegasInsider.com, Oddschecker, VSiN and much more as a content producer - focused on the betting and gaming space over the last decade tracking insights, data analytics and covering various markets from the NFL to the Oscars.