BYU vs. VCU Prediction, Odds & Preview Today: NCAA Tournament First Round Best Bets

We look at VCU's chances of covering as underdogs and upsetting BYU in today's first round of March Madness.

Mike Spector

Last Updated: March 20, 2025 2:22 PM EDT • 6 minute read

BYU vs. VCU Prediction — A10 tournament most outstanding player, VCU Rams forward Jack Clark, holds a piece of the net during the championship trophy ceremony. Photro by Geoff Burke / Imagn.

The No. 11 seed VCU Rams (28-6) play one of the most anticipated first-round games today at 4:05 p.m. ET (TNT) against the No. 6 seed BYU Cougars (24-9). We're breaking down this NCAA Tournament first-round matchup with our BYU vs. VCU predictions, odds, and preview.

The Cougars are anywhere from 2.5 to 3.5-point betting favorites to win this opening-round matchup at Ball Arena in Denver, but we believe the Rams’ pressure defense will cause BYU trouble as part of our best March Madness predictions.

🏀 BYU vs. VCU prediction & picks today

Here are my best BYU vs. VCU predictions for the first round of the NCAA Tournament; use our parlay calculator to get the best odds for any same-game parlay:

✅ Against the spread pick: VCU +3.5 (-115 via BetMGM) vs. BYU ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🔥 Best player prop bet: Jack Clark Over 6.5 rebounds (-105 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐
🎯 Exact score prediction: VCU 75, BYU 74 (+19000 via DraftKings)

👉 Want more picks? Check out our latest college basketball picks and the rest of our March Madness first-round predictions.

🤖 See our March Madness AI bracket predictions for every game through Monday, April 7

🔢 BYU vs. VCU updated betting action

56% of bets are on BYU to cover (-2.5)
57% of wagers are on the Over (147.5)
BYU opened as the -2.5 favorite before the line shifted briefly to 3.5 on Wednesday afternoon, but it's since mostly shuffled back to -2.5 as of 2:05 p.m. ET Thursday (BetMGM)

🏆 Best BYU vs. VCU pick, player prop bet & score prediction

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✅ VCU to cover the spread: +3.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

From an X’s and O’s standpoint and despite BYU having shorter March Madness odds, everything has me leaning VCU’s way in this contrast of styles. The only thing preventing me from making the Rams +3.5 a five-star play is that they are playing at altitude just four days after their conference tournament ended against an altitude-acclimated BYU team.

I expect VCU’s press (it ranks in the 99th percentile in press rate) will give BYU’s turnover-prone guards (BYU ranked 12th in league play in turnover rate) fits.

In addition, VCU allows catch-and-shoot opportunities at an extremely low rate (13th percentile) and ranks in the 91st percentile in efficiency in that metric defensively. That should disrupt BYU’s more finessed half-court style.

I am comfortable paying up slightly in juice for this wager at BetMGM, as VCU is a point lower at +2.5 at FanDuel.

📊 Best odds: -115 via BetMGM ($10 to win $8.70)

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🔥 Jack Clark Over 6.5 rebounds ⭐⭐⭐

Clark is VCU’s leading rebounder at 6.9 per game, and he averages the second-most minutes on the team (28.6 minutes per game).Clark has gone over this projected total in four of the previous eight games, finishing just shy with six rebounds in each of the other four.

VCU is the 12th-best offensive rebounding team in the country, securing 36.7% of its misses.

That should be the Rams’ biggest advantage in this matchup and something head coach Ryan Odom preaches, and Clark should go over this projected total as a result. The best price for this wager is at BetMGM, as Caesars has it juiced to -114.

📊 Best odds: -105 via BetMGM ($10 to win $9.52)

🎯 Score prediction: VCU 75, BYU 74

VCU played at altitude against Colorado State in Las Vegas and at New Mexico this season, splitting those two games against NCAA Tournament teams.

The fact that No. 11 seeds have won half of the 24 meetings with No. 6 seeds since 2018 has me even more confident in predicting an upset and a final score of VCU 75, BYU 74.

📊 Best odds: +19000 via DraftKings ($10 to win $1900)

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🤖 BYU vs. VCU AI prediction

For entertainment purposes, we asked ChatGPT to analyze historical trends and live NCAA Tournament stats before predicting the winner and exact score for BYU vs. VCU. Our AI prediction projects a final score of VCU 72, BYU 64.

🖥️ AI score prediction: VCU 72, BYU 64

VCU enters the tournament having dominated the Atlantic 10 Conference, known for its defensive intensity and fast-paced offense. Their success comes from their ability to force turnovers, which helps generate easy transition baskets. They also have a well-balanced offense that can score both inside and outside.
The Rams are known for being a high-pressure team that thrives in the chaos of the tournament setting.
Teams that rely on perimeter shooting, like BYU, can thrive if they catch fire. However, against a team like VCU that's designed to stifle shooters and push the tempo, BYU will need to be efficient from the outside to avoid getting overwhelmed.

🤔 Betting takeaway: ChatGPT's AI prediction would mean VCU covering the spread (+3.5) and a total of Under 146.5 points. ChatGPT is not a dedicated sports betting model, but it can identify data that March Madness bettors might overlook.

📊 Live BYU vs. VCU odds

Follow the latest live March Madness college basketball odds and real-time NCAA Tournament scores for the first round.

Latest BYU vs. VCU odds

Our updated BYU vs. VCU odds are via BetMGM.

Spread

The spread opened with BYU as the -2.5 favorites. It then dipped to -3.5 several times on Tuesday and Wednesday before now mostly settling back at -2.5.

Total

The total has gone on a ride after opening at 143.5. It started to climb on Monday while moving to 144.5, and it's steadily gone up to 147.5 in the hours before tipoff.

Moneyline

BYU opened as the -150 favorite on Sunday. That dipped to as short as -170, and as long as -135. It now sits at -140, which equates to an implied probability of 58.33%.

🔢 BYU vs. VCU opening odds

Spread: BYU -2.5 (-115) | VCU +2.5 (-105)
Moneyline: BYU -150 | VCU +125
Over/Under: Over 143.5 (-115) | Under 143.5 (-105)

📅 Check out the full March Madness first-round schedule and opening odds.

🔮 East Region expert picks

📺 How to watch BYU vs. VCU: NCAA Tournament first round

📅 Date: Thursday, March 20
🕗 Time: 4:05 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Ball Arena (Denver)
📺 TV: TNT
💻 Streaming: March Madness Live

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Written by:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”

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