Saturday's College Basketball Best Bet: Baylor Takes on Kansas in Big-12 Showdown
Saturday's College Basketball Best Bet: Baylor Takes on Kansas in Big-12 Showdown
Saturday night Big 12 basketball with everything on the line for both teams in a town called Waco, Texas. We have two top-10 teams in probably the best matchup of the day. This game is on ESPN primetime for your viewing pleasure and there is a lot to say, including the fact that this is the second meeting and the first one was real ugly in Kansas.
The Jayhawks put a whooping on Baylor, they took them behind the woodshed and they did what Bears usually do to Salmon. It was ugly. It was never a game as Kansas was up 10 just 5 minutes into the game and the lead never went back to single digits after that.
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Baylor vs. Kansas Prediction
This game has a ton on the line for both teams as Kansas is playing for a No. 1 seed. That's clearly still a long way to go, but odds are Gonzaga and Arizona are locks for a No. 1 seed and Auburn is still up there with Purdue and Duke and Kentucky. If Kansas wins today, they have a great argument. But, not so fast.
Yes, Kansas is good but this is a road game and they lost to Texas and Texas Tech, the 2 best teams they have played on the road. Both ranked and both conference foes so that does not help their case at all (because Baylor is in the same criteria and things happen in threes).
Kansas is a good offense, but they are coming off their best offensive game of the year (tied with the beatdown of an awful Missouri squad) where they shot 64% from the field and 62% from the 3-point line, well above their seasonal numbers.
If Kansas wins this game, they pretty much lock up the Big 12 as they would have a 2-game lead with 3 to go against TCU twice and Texas. We all know nothing is getting wrapped up this early as the Big 12 has 3 of the top 10 teams in the country. If we go back and look at the first meeting, Kansas shot the lights out early but by the end, their numbers weren't impressive and we feel they won't shoot 22% better than Baylor on the road tonight.
We spoke about Kansas but let's talk about Baylor and remember one thing about the first matchup that you won't see in the boxscore. Baylor is built on pretty much all guards. They like to run it up and shoot fast and not let you settle in on defense. That's why they are a top offense and defense this year, outscoring opponents by 14 a game.
In the first matchup, 2 of the 3 headed monsters weren't there as Adam Flagler had to carry the load. LJ Cryer was injured, that's 13.5 points per game, and James Akinjo was benched because the man was 0-11, so he would have been better off not playing because he stunk like a skunk out there.
So we saw a blowout, but Baylor got nothing from 2 guys who average almost 27 a game, which is more than enough to cover the 24 they lost by. Baylor had one of their worst offensive performances of the year and a team that shoots 47% didn't even get to 30%. This game will be a fast-paced game as Baylor will use the speed of the guards to neutralize the Kansas big men. Waco will be rocking for this huge revenge game and Baylor needs this win as this will solidify them as a #2 seed and leave the door open for a #1.
It's not often you get Baylor at home to win by a bucket as they have been favored in every home game this year and none by less than 5 points. Last year, Baylor beat Kansas 77-69 at home and we expect a similar score and are predicting 80-72 as a possible outcome. This game means a lot to both but Baylor has two guys who want this game badly. Lay the bucket at home and let's watch the Bears do what Bears normally do to their prey instead of the other way around tonight. Revenge will be a dish served cold tonight.
Baylor vs. Kansas Pick
PICK: Baylor -2 @ -120 (Bet $120 to win $100)