Must-see college hoops is set to go down in the Big 12 at online sportsbooks on Saturday afternoon when the No. 4 Baylor Bears and No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks square off in hopes of getting a leg up in the conference title race. Scott Drew’s Bears have busted out of the gates with 12 wins through 13 tries and invade Lawrence amidst an 11-game win streak after going into Lubbock and handling the Texas Tech Red Raiders earlier in the week. Rock Chalk was also impressive on Wednesday night when it went into the Hilton Coliseum, a place that’s been nightmarish recently, and trounced the Iowa State Cyclones. Both teams ability to play lock down defense and hit the glass should find this matchup go down to the wire in a game the scoreboard operators aren’t likely to get a workout in.
This huge Big 12 tussle will take place on Saturday, January 11, 2020. Tip-off will be at 1 p.m. ET from the Phog Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, KS. The game will be broadcast on CBS. So make sure to fill out your March Madness Bracket today!
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Odds Analysis
Already with wins logged against highly ranked teams like Texas Tech, Butler, Arizona and Villanova, the Bears just might be for real this season. We saw glimpses of greatness from this team a short season ago, but a late-season fizzle saw their seeding in the NCAA tournament get dramatically worse. Because of it, they were forced to match up with Gonzaga in the Round of 32 and were sent back to Waco because of it. I watched their matchup with the Red Raiders in its entirety on Tuesday night and came away impressed. Save for the 20 overall turnovers, the Bears defense made life a living hell for their opponent and they won the battle of the boards 44-25. The team didn’t take a single possession off and was extremely physical until the final gun. Hopefully they still have enough in the tank to compete in this one.
Hilton Coliseum has recently been a house of horrors for Bill Self and his Kansas Jayhawks. Heading into Wednesday night’s skirmish, KU had dropped three of its previous five visits. With that, late steam came in on the Cyclones plus the points leading up to tip-off. It wasn’t a wise move from either the public or sharp money forcing linemakers to move the number to beat after Kansas exploded late in the first half to take full control of the game and never look back. When the dust cleared, the Jayhawks found themselves on the right side of an impressive 79-53 beat down to demolish the 5.5-point closing spread. The Jayhawks return to the comforts of the Allen Fieldhouse looking to remain perfect in front of their frenetic fan base while at the same time remain unblemished at home against Baylor in Big 12 play.
Players to Watch
While David McCormack and Ochai Agbaji put forth fantastic performances against the Cyclones in combining for 32 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists, it was Devon Dotson that ended up stealing the show. The sophomore led all scorers with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting and added 6 assists to go along with 5 rebounds. Most importantly, he only turned it over twice and has committed two or less miscues in five of his last six games. Ball security will be of utmost importance for the Jayhawks in this matchup with Baylor forcing an average of 16.1 turnovers per game (No. 42). One of the main reasons why the Bears were able to go into Lubbock and come out with a win earlier in the week was because of the 13 Red Raiders turnovers. It allowed them to get out in transition and score some easy baskets against one of the best defenses in the country. Should Dotson and company allow that to happen on Saturday, the Bears will be in a position to log their first-ever win in the Fieldhouse in Big 12 play.
Prediction
Figure Kansas will be installed a 6-7 point favorite with the total lined in the low 130s. As excited I am about how the Jayhawks are shaping up being a diehard Kansas alum, I’m not so sure they’re going to want this game as bad as the Bears. Baylor passed the eye test for me with flying colors against the Red Raiders. They were nothing short of tenacious for the full 40 minutes and cruised to the carefree outright win and cover in a hostile arena. This game should play out very similarly. It’s going to be a rock fest. It’s going to be physical. Points are going to be tough to come by and every possession will matter. Kansas still isn’t a finished product. I’m curious to see how it reacts to avenging the Big 12 title game defeat against Iowa State and then being forced to take on a major player in conference only a few days later. Baylor should sky-high for this test and I expect them to at the very least pull off a passing grade. The only reason I’m not calling for the outright is because Baylor’s never won on KU’s home court. Still, take the points and hit the under - the combined score might not surpass 120!
College Basketball Pick: Kansas 60, Baylor 59
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