The 10th-ranked Baylor Bears will be seeking revenge for a blowout loss three weeks ago when they host the fifth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks in a Big 12 battle Saturday. The Bears (23-5, 11-4) have been fighting injury issues and lost 83-59 when these teams met on Feb. 5. They have won four of their past five games and are 13-2 at home this season. They come in off a 66-64 overtime win against Oklahoma State on Monday. The Jayhawks (23-4, 12-2) can close in on the Big 12 regular-season title, with a two-game lead with four games left including Saturday's. Kansas is the top-scoring team in the Big 12 and crushed Kansas State 102-83 on Tuesday. The Bears are second in the conference in scoring, so it should be quite a battle.
Tipoff at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas is set for 8 p.m. ET. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Bears as three-point favorites in its latest Kansas vs. Baylor odds, and the over-under for total points is 147.5. Before locking in any Baylor vs. Kansas picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Kansas vs. Baylor, and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Baylor vs. Kansas.
- Kansas vs. Baylor spread: Bears -3
- Kansas vs. Baylor over-under: 147.5 points
- Kansas vs. Baylor money line: Jayhawks +130, Bears -150
- KU: It is 4-1 ATS with the rest disadvantage.
- BAY: It is 12-9-1 ATS this season after a win.
Why Baylor can cover
Baylor is second in the Big 12 in scoring 77.1 points per game, and it is better defensively than Kansas. It allows just 63 per contest, more than five points fewer than the Jayhawks give up. It is unlikely to repeat its performance from Lawrence, when it shot under 30 percent from the field. It typically hits 46.9 percent of its shots, fourth-best in the conference, and it should be more settled on its home floor. Adam Flagler (13.7 points per game) and James Akinjo (12.9) are both in the top 10 in the Big 12 in scoring, and six other players average at least 8.4.
Flagler, who scored 29 points in the win Monday, shoots 40.4 percent from three-point range (third-best in Big 12) and 45 percent from the field (fifth). LJ Cryer shoots almost 47 percent from outside, but he missed the last meeting and could be out again Saturday with a foot injury. The Bears are 8-7 ATS at home this season. They lead the conference and are 12th in the nation in steals per game (9.2), with Akinjo second in the conference at 2.1 per contest. Baylor also leads the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.26) and is second in turnover margin (3.6).
Why Kansas can cover
Kansas has supreme confidence after dominating the last meeting and has won five of the past seven matchups. It is 13-14 ATS this season, and it rolled to a 12-2 lead in the Feb. 5 meeting and led by as many as 34. The Jayhawks had a 46-37 edge in rebounds and held the Bears to 29.6 percent shooting. Christian Braun and Ochai Agbaji each scored 18. Kansas leads the Big 12 in scoring at 80 points per game and is fourth in the nation in shooting percentage (49.8). Braun is second in the Big 12 in shooting at 51.2 percent and Agbaji is third at 51.0.
Agbaji scores a conference-best 20.2 points per game and Braun averages 15.2 (fifth). They are among five Jayhawks players averaging at least eight points. Agbaji leads the conference in three-point shooting (44.5 percent) and averages three made three-pointers per game (second). Jalen Wilson scores 10.7 points and averages 7.2 rebounds (third in Big 12), and David McCormack scores 9.6 and chips in seven boards (fourth). Wilson had 15 points, seven boards, two steals and a blocked shot in the last meeting with Baylor. KU blocked six shots in that game.
How to make Baylor vs. Kansas picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting 149 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time. You can only get the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Kansas vs. Baylor? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up almost $2,000 on its college basketball picks the last five-plus years, and find out.
