BYU Cougars vs Kansas Jayhawks Pick – 1/31/2026

Saturday’s Big 12 showcase will take place at Allen Fieldhouse, as the BYU Cougars visit the Kansas Jayhawks. BYU arrives at 17-3 overall and 5-2 in league play with a top-15 ranking powered by elite scoring. Kansas stands 15-5 and 5-2, with quality defensive numbers and their usual home-court advantage to contend with. ESPN College GameDay will be on site, and this has the potential to be a memorable basketball game. Before tip-off, keep reading to get my BYU vs Kansas prediction in college hoops.

Our BYU vs Kansas Pick

Pick:

Confidence: 3/5

Game Snapshot

• Matchup: BYU Cougars @ Kansas Jayhawks
• Date & Time: Saturday, January 31, 2026, 4:30 p.m. ET
• Venue: Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas
• Broadcast: ESPN

Key Storylines

• Form and records: BYU is 17-3 and 5-2 in Big 12 play after an 86-83 setback to Arizona on Monday. The Cougars have dropped two of their last three games and will try to get back on track with a win in this contest. Kansas is 15-5 and 5-2 in the Big 12, fresh off an 86-62 win over Kansas State at the Octagon of Doom in Manhattan.
• Star power: BYU’s AJ Dybantsa averages 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds. Guard Robert Wright III leads with 5.2 assists, while Keba Keita anchors the glass at 7.8 boards and nearly 2 blocks per game. Darryn Peterson is also available for the Jayhawks, giving them a lottery pick-level talent to contend with Dybantsa.
• Jayhawk leaders: Tre White averages 14.9 points per game, Flory Bidunga posts 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks, and Melvin Council Jr. dishes out 5.2 assists per game. Peterson has averaged 21.6 points in limited action and his ankle status is being monitored, though he should play here.
• Rest and situational angles: Kansas has a full week off between games. BYU played Monday and travels to Lawrence, a venue where Kansas is 8-1 this season.
• Both of these teams are 5-2 in the loaded Big 12 and a loss would make it very hard for either team to catch up to undefeated Arizona, Houston, and Iowa State in the league standings. The pressure will be on in this contest from Allen Fieldhouse.

Head-to-Head & Betting Trends

• Kansas is 4-3 all-time against BYU.
• The Jayhawks are 13-7-1 against the spread this season.
• BYU is 9-11 against the spread going into this game.
• The under is 14-6 in Kansas’ games this season.
• BYU is 11-9 to the over entering this matchup.

BYU vs Kansas Model Projection

Final Thoughts

Jay Sanin

Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.

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