If the Baylor Bears are to win a second straight Big 12 regular season title – at the very least a share of it – they’re going to need to defend their turf on Saturday night when the Kansas Jayhawks invade the Ferrell Center for the second and final throw down of the regular season between these conference heavyweights. Bill Self’s troops cruised to the win and point spread cover at online sportsbooks in the first go-round crushing the Bears 83-59 as what turned out to be laughable 2.5-point Allen Fieldhouse favorites back on February 5. With the taste of that beating still fresh in the defending champs’ collective mouth, you can’t help but think Scott Drew’s kids will be more than ready for the rematch in front of their hometown faithful; especially with its two most recent losses coming against the other two teams still alive to take home the regular season title. But will Baylor have enough in the tank to combat what looks to be a determined Jayhawks outfit that’s a late-game collapse against Texas from entering this tilt winners of seven in a row (5-2 ATS). I think not!
Take this pivotal Big 12 skirmish in live on ESPN at 8 p.m. ET from the Ferrell Center on Saturday, February 26, 2022. BookMaker.eu will have NCAA basketball odds and betting props made available for every game lined up for the loaded college basketball schedule.
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Odds Analysis
The Jayhawks invade Waco having rattled off four straight wins since succumbing to the Longhorns in a nauseating fashion back on February 7; a game removed from curb stomping the Bears in the Phog. They’ve earned college basketball bettors covers against the closing odds in three straight against Oklahoma State, West Virginia and most recently Kansas State. The offense has really taken it up a notch of late. It just dropped 102 points on the Wildcats and has averaged a shade less than 80 points in its last six games. As for Baylor, it too enters this tilt amidst a win streak. Theirs is of the two-game variety after taking care of business against TCU and most recently OK-State in Stillwater. However, they failed to cover the closing impost in both matchups and have only sent their wagering supporters back to the window to cash a ticket in two of their last eight games. The offense is still adapting to being without both LJ Cryer and Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua.
Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks just got done matching a season-high in points scored last time out in skunking K-State. They dropped 102 on the Missouri Tigers in the “Border War” earlier this season. Anyone that bet the under on Tuesday night knew they were cooked right from the outset with seemingly every shot taken by both sides hitting pay dirt. KU put 53 points on the board in the first half, and then added another 49 in the second to cruise to the 102-83 win as 12-point favorites. While the defense allowed Nijel Pack and company to shoot 47 percent from the field and drain 11 three-pointers, Kansas shot an even more scorching 64 percent and connected on 15 long range bombs of its own. Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun and Jalen Wilson continued their offensive onslaught by combining for 59 percent of the total scoring output. The team hits the road looking to improve upon their 6-2 SU and 4-4 ATS records.
Baylor Bears
The defending champs have really struggled to get into a groove with the recent season loss of Tchatchoua and Cryer riding the pine the last two games. The latter’s 3-point shooting and 13.5 point per game average have been sorely missed. So too has their big man’s presence in the paint with his 6.8 rebounds seeing the team lose the battle of the boards in three straight. As it is, Baylor clocks in as the No. 4 ranked team at KenPom.com; one spot ahead of Saturday night’s opponent. It’s done a solid job defending its turf in going 13-2 SU with linemakers paying their supporters out in eight of those contests. The only reason it got the best of Oklahoma State in overtime earlier in the week was because of Adam Flagler playing the role of Superman. He went off for a game-high 29 points with only one other Bear tallying double-digits. For Baylor to even up the season rivalry he’ll need to go HAM once again. Either that or the offense will need to put forth a more balanced effort.
Betting Prediction
I seriously couldn’t believe how fast the Jayhawks played on Tuesday night! It’s been years since my alma mater raced up and down the hardwood and scored points like that. With Wilson seemingly back to his 2020-21 self, KU’s offense is dangerous. It’s been lighting it up of late with everyone on the roster seemingly in a fantastic groove with one another. I’m not sure Baylor is going to find enough offense to keep up. As already stated, it’s still finding itself right now due to the recent losses of key player personnel. Even if the Bears were 100 percent healthy, I still don’t think they defend their house in this spot. The Jayhawks are running like a well-oiled machine with the regular season title in sight. From what I’m seeing, the visitors just might be afforded a possession come Saturday night. Should that be the case, I’d have no issue turning them into a 1-point favorite at a plus-money return. I believe they win this game and take a step closer towards locking up the 20th Big 12 regular season title in program history – Rock Chalk!
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