Best Bets, Picks & How to Watch Iowa St vs BYU on Saturday Night

• The 8th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks are 10.5-point favorites at home against the Cincinnati Bearcats
• Kansas has won nine of its last 10, while the Bearcats have won three straight
• See below for my Cincinnati vs Kansas prediction and best bets

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In the thick of a diabolical section of their schedule, the 6th-ranked Iowa State Cyclones (23-3, 10-3 Big 12) are doing just fine.

Another test is in store Saturday night, when they host the 23rd-ranked BYU Cougars (19-7. 7-6 Big 12) and potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, AJ Dybantsa.

The Cyclones, the road favorite for this one in the college basketball odds, seem built for big games, and that’s why I’m picking them to cover in my BYU vs Iowa State prediction.

First, let’s start with couple of player prop bets just waiting to be bet on, starting with the BYU youngster.

BYU vs Iowa State Player Prop #1: AJ Dybantsa Points

• Pick: Over 25.5 points (-115 at FanDuel)

Analysis: If AJ Dybantsa isn’t ready for primetime, I don’t know who is.The kid has led the Cougars in scoring in eight of the last 10 games, and has topped his 25.5 scoring line twice, missing it on two other occasions by a single bucket.

Despite the loss, AJ Dybantsa dropped 35 PTS against No. 4 Arizona 😳 pic.twitter.com/XaQNeLVK44

— ESPN (@espn) February 19, 2026

Iowa State does have a way of getting its hooks into you — they rank third in the Big 12 in scoring defense, also good for eighth in the nation, but Dybantsa should manage just fine.

In his most recent games against Top 10 competition, he lit up Arizona for 35, the defensive powerhouse Houston Cougars for 28, and the Kansas Jayhawks for 24.

BYU vs Iowa State Player Prop #2: Milan Momcilovic Points

• Pick: Under 18.5 points (-122 at FanDuel)

Analysis: Milan Momcilovic is a wildly efficient star for the Cyclones, leading the team in scoring at 18 points per game, shooting 53.4% from the field and 51.3% from 3-point range.

The BEST Shooter in America. Hands Down.#Cyclones | #C5C | @MilanMomcilovi5 pic.twitter.com/0PwQIRYSLm

— Iowa State Men’s Basketball (@CycloneMBB) February 14, 2026

Perhaps, though, he’s a bit too unselfish (for betting purposes), as Momcilovic has gone over 13 field goal attempts in a game just once in his last 17 starts, a big reason he’s gone Under 18.5 points in five of his last six. He’s also never scored more than 18 points against BYU in four career games.

Iowa St vs BYU Odds & Betting Lines

Odds as of Feb 20. New customers can claim a FanDuel promo code to get a bonus to bet on college basketball.

Online sportsbooks have set the spread at 3.5 points, with -110 odds on either side.

The moneyline might be worth the hit if you like Iowa Sate to win outright, and there’s also decent juice for a BYU upset, paying out at +162.

The total sits at 154.5 points, with the Over cashing in three of the last four head-to-head matchups.

Iowa St vs BYU Prediction

• Iowa State -3.5 (-110 at FanDuel)

Life in the Big 12 is unforgiving, and Iowa State has handled it’s loaded stretch impressively so far, befitting of a team with the fifth best March Madness odds.

They Cyclones are halfway through a stretch of games where they play five ranked teams in six games, staring with back-to-back wins over the 9th-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and the 2nd-ranked Houston Cougars.

Iowa State has one of the stingiest defenses in college basketball, allowing just 64.6 points per game, and since dropping back-to-back games against Kansas and Cincinnati, the defense again is powering them. They’ve won seven of their last right, and have allowed just one team to crack the 70-point plateau.

While the rise of Dybantsa’s stock has been fun to watch, BYU has found life tough in conference play. Since a 4-0 start in Big 12 action, BYU has now dropped six of nine, including last game’s 75-68 loss to 4th-ranked Arizona.

While Iowa State has thrived against the level-up in competition, the Cougars have faltered, dropping all five games to ranked teams during this stretch.

BYU vs Ranked Teams in Big 12 Games

BYU is still a threat to knock off any team, though: they’re second in the Big 12 in scoring, putting up 84.8 points per game.

It just hasn’t translated against the top teams in the Big 12. They’ve averaged just 74 points in those losses, while surrendering an average of 82.4 points per game.

The Cyclones have been a solid bet of late, going 6-2-0 against the spread in their last eight, while the Cougars are have covered just twice in the last 10.

Iowa enters Saturday trailing both Arizona and Houston atop the Big 12, and with just five games left on the calendar, a regular season conference title is very much in reach. They keep on this stretch with another convincing win.

How to Watch Iowa St vs BYU

Action tips off Saturday night at 10:30pm ET from the Marriott Center Provo, UT, in a game that will be broadcast by ESPN. Iowa State has played just seven road games so far this season, going 4-2, while BYU is a solid 10-2 at home.