Baylor and Texas Tech will be part of the NCAA Tournament, but both teams can secure the double-bye in the Big 12 tournament in this game. Baylor is alone in third place with an 11-6 record, and Texas Tech is tied for fourth with Kansas with a 10-7 record. The Bears have the tiebreaker advantage over Kansas, so regardless of what happens in this game, they could both get the double-bye. It is time to continue our men's college basketball odds series with a Baylor-Texas Tech prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
Texas Tech looks like they are catching fire at the right time, as they had a big comeback victory over West Virginia before dominating Oklahoma State on Tuesday. Pop Isaacs has been struggling but finally got out of his slump against Oklahoma State with 19 points. He still leads the Red Raiders in scoring with 15.9 points per game.
Baylor has been one of the best offensive teams in the nation, and they showed it on Tuesday by going on a 21-2 run to comeback against Texas. Baylor used 42 free throw attempts, hitting 34 of them, to contribute to the victory. The Bears use a well-balanced scoring system, with freshman Ja'Kobe Walter leading the team with 14.7 points per game. RayJ Dennis is second with 13.5 points, and seven-foot freshman Yves Missi chips in 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds. Missi is also a force in the interior, blocking 44 shots this season.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Baylor-Texas Tech Odds
Baylor: +1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -102
Texas Tech: -1.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -118
Over: 150.5 (-110)
Under: 150.5 (-110)
How to Watch Baylor vs. Texas Tech
Time: 6 PM ET/3 PM PT
TV: ESPN+
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Baylor Will Cover The Spread/Win
Baylor took the victory over Texas Tech in the first matchup, winning 79-73. The Bears were six-point favorites that day, resulting in a push, but they've been one of college basketball's best teams against the spread. Baylor is 17-9-3 against the spread this season.
Baylor is one of the best offensive teams in the nation, averaging 82 points per game. Their biggest strength is three-point shooting, ranking third with a 40.3% efficiency. The Bears don't take as many threes as you'd expect, but Texas Tech ranks 232nd, allowing teams to shoot 22.6 threes per game. If Baylor can get some open looks against this Texas Tech team, they will begin to run up the score.
Why Texas Tech Will Cover The Spread/Win
Texas Tech's offense will be able to take advantage of an average defense for the Bears. Texas Tech averages 75.9 points per game and is better than Baylor in most categories. Baylor allows opponents to shoot 45.4% from the floor and 71.3 points per game.
One of Baylor's strengths is slowing the game down, getting the ball to the interior, and drawing fouls. This was shown against Texas when they managed to shoot 42 free throws. You have a good chance of winning in any game where you go 34 for 42 from the line. However, this is one area Texas Tech may not allow Baylor to exploit. The Red Raiders rank 48th in the country, allowing opponents to shoot just 15.9 free throws per game.
Final Baylor-Texas Tech Prediction & Pick
Baylor took the first matchup, and the game ended in a push after a six-point win. Your best bet is to assume that Texas Tech will return the favor on home court. Texas took advantage of Baylor's average defense to get a lead on Tuesday but let them back into the game with undisciplined fouls. Baylor won't get that benefit against Texas Tech, as they are one of the best teams at limiting opponent's free throw attempts. Take Texas Tech to win and cover in their final game before the Big 12 tournament.
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Final Baylor-Texas Tech Prediction & Pick: Texas Tech -1.5 (-105)
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