Texas vs. BYU odds, prediction: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

The Texas Longhorns battle the BYU Cougars in a first-round matchup in the West regional of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night. The eleven-seeded Longhorns will face the sixth-seeded BYU Cougars. Texas won its play-in game in thrilling fashion, 68-66, against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. It will be a quick turnaround for the Longhorns, having played Tuesday night in Dayton, Ohio. The BYU Cougars (23-11) lost to the Houston Cougars 73-66 in the Big 12 tournament. All eyes will be on the Cougars' superstar, AJ Dybantsa. This will likely be his first and only NCAA Tournament run. The Longhorns have lost three of their last five games, while the Cougars have won three of their last five games. 

Tipoff from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, is set for 7:25 p.m. ET. BYU holds a 5-2 all-time series lead over Texas. The last time these played was in Provo, where BYU took down Texas 84-72 in 2024. BYU is a 2.5-point favorite in the latest Texas vs BYU odds from DraftKings Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 157.5. 

Before making any BYU vs Texas picks, check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on top-ranked over/under picks dating back to last year, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following could have seen HUGE returns!

The model has simulated Texas vs BYU 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is going Over on the total, and it also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time!

So who wins Texas vs BYU, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Join SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has simulated this matchup 10,000 times!