BYU continues its home stand when they welcome Abilene Christian to the Marriott Center Friday night. This is a Quad Four game for BYU and the first since the end of Fall Semester. KJ Perry and Abdullah Ahmed are both able to join the team now as mid-year enrollees. KJ Perry must redshirt this semester, […]
BYU continues its home stand when they welcome Abilene Christian to the Marriott Center Friday night. This is a Quad Four game for BYU and the first since the end of Fall Semester. KJ Perry and Abdullah Ahmed are both able to join the team now as mid-year enrollees. KJ Perry must redshirt this semester, but Ahmed could be available to play as soon as this game. BYU sources have told me it’s still TBD if Ahmed will play this season. We may get some clarity before tipoff.
The game tips off Friday night at 7:30 pm MT on TNT.
BYU and Abilene Christian by the Numbers
Abilene Christian KenPom: 218
NET ranking: 214
Record: 7-4
Best Wins: Pepperdine (A), New Mexico State (H)
Losses: Stephen F Austin (A), Texas State (A), William & Mary (N) Arizona (A)
AP Ranking: N/A
BYU KenPom: 8
NET Ranking: 6
Record: 10-1
AP Ranking: 10
KenPom Prediction: BYU 86, ACU 59 — BYU 99% win probability
Point Spread: BYU BYU -33.5
Point Total: 144.5
Abilene Christian Overview
Abilene Christian has a clear identity — they want to pressure the ball and force turnovers. That doesn’t mean they are very good, but you know what you are going to get when you play them.
Defense is the strength of this ACU team. They force turnovers on 21% of possessions (30th nationally) with traps and double teams they’ll employ both with a full-court press and in the halfcourt. They routinely double off PNRs and in the halfcourt, which can force turnovers but also open looks for opponents. ACU’s swashbuckling defensive approach is seen in the numbers. They are 351st in three-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 39% from three, and they also give up the highest free throw rate in the nation. They approach works when they force turnovers, but opponents also get a lot of open looks and get ACU into foul trouble with their aggressiveness.
Offensively, ACU has been terrible. They have been decent from three, but have one of the worst two-point and free throw percentages in the country. They also have one of the worst turnover rates in the country, turning the ball over on 21% of their possessions.
Abilene Christian was picked to finish third in the WAC behind Cal Baptist and UVU.
Players to Watch
Bradyn Hubbard, Guard — Hubbard is ACU’s best player on both ends of the floor, averaging 15.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.6 steals. The 6-foot-5 guard leads the team in both scoring and steals. Hubbard does a good job at getting the foul line and shoots 33% from three.
Yaniel Rivera, Guard — Rivera is second on the team in scoring (9.8 ppg) and is the team’s best shooter, averaging 5 three-point attempts per game and shooting 39%.
Prediction
Arizona just beat Abilene Christian 96-62 Tuesday night, so while not totally fair, we’ll get a comparison of how BYU’s result compare.
BYU is on a roll right now, and I don’t see ACU posing much resistance. I don’t think they have enough length for their pressure defense to bother BYU too much, which could open up a lot of open baskets for BYU early in the shot clock.
I’ll pick BYU to win big.
Prediction: BYU 97, Abilene Christian 59
Category: General Sports
