Texas vs. BYU prediction: BYU favored to win men's March Madness First Round matchup [3/19/2026]

BYU will square off with Texas in March Madness First Round action at Moda Center on Thursday, beginning at 7:35 PM ET.

For this First Round matchup, BYU—an NBA talent pipeline capable of beating anyone— come up against Texas, a strong rebounding team with a top-10 offense.

Based on updated simulation results, Dimers' advanced college basketball model predicts BYU as the most likely winner of the Texas vs. BYU game.

This article offers an expanded analysis of Thursday's matchup, including an expanded look at the predicted score, best bets and picks.

Texas vs. BYU prediction: Who will win and advance to the Second Round?

Using innovative machine learning and data, we have simulated the outcome of Thursday's NCAAM Tournament matchup between Texas and BYU 10,000 times as part of our men's college basketball predictions coverage.

Our leading predictive model gives BYU a 61% chance of beating Texas. Our predicted final score has BYU winning 80-77.

According to our model, BYU (-2.5) has a 56% chance of covering the spread, while the over/under total of 156.5 points has a 51% chance of staying under.

Texas vs. BYU odds

We have researched the best men's college basketball odds in America for this game, which are listed here:

Bet Type	Texas	BYU
Spread	+2.5 (-108)	-2.5 (-108)
Moneyline	+130	-144
Total	o156.5 (-110)	u156.5 (-108)

All odds are correct at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Texas vs. BYU picks and best bet

After matching our predictions against the best current odds, we can reveal our picks for each of the major markets. Plus, find our best bet for the game below:

Bet Type	Pick	Bet Now
Spread	BYU -2.5	-108
Moneyline	BYU	-144
Total	Under 156.5	-108

According to our men's college basketball best bets, the top play to make on this game is BYU -2.5 at the spread.

These picks are based on our probabilities matched against the implied probabilities from the sportsbook odds.

Texas vs. BYU game-day updates and essential details

Thursday's men's college basketball action between BYU and Texas at Moda Center is scheduled to begin at 7:35 PM ET.

• Who: Texas vs. BYU
• Date: Thursday, March 19, 2026
• Time: 7:35 PM ET/4:35PM PT
• Venue: Moda Center
• March Madness stage: First Round

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Conclusion

We predict BYU, with a 61% win probability, will likely beat Texas this men's March Madness First Round matchup.

AI and automation have enhanced this article to quickly deliver accurate Texas vs. BYU insights, with human oversight ensuring high editorial quality. Our predictions are sourced from up-to-date data to help you make informed decisions. For additional resources and advice on responsible gambling, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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