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The Baylor Bears take on the TCU Horned Frogs. Our college basketball odds series has our Baylor-TCU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Baylor TCU.
The Baylor Bears have had a bumpy journey this season, but it is poised to become a whole lot better. Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua, an excellent forward who provides great defense and rebounding, was injured and had surgery. His career and its status were legitimately in question. He has made a tremendous recovery, ahead of schedule according to many evaluators, and is now back in the Baylor lineup. The Bears have looked very strong over the past week upon seeing Tchamwa Tchatchoua re-enter the lineup. Baylor not only gets a key player back from last season's roster, someone who is familiar with coach Scott Drew's system and won't need extra coaching; the Bears also get a high-energy, high-activity player who is physically fresh in time for the home stretch. Tchamwa Tchatchoua doesn't need to score to be effective or impactful. He just needs to defend and rebound, which by itself will take a lot of pressure off other Baylor teammates.
Here are the Baylor-TCU college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: Baylor-TCU Odds
Baylor Bears: +1.5 (-120)
TCU Horned Frogs: -1.5 (-102)
Over: 149.5 (-110)
Under: 149.5 (-110)
How To Watch Baylor vs. TCU
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 4:00 p.m. ET, 1:00 p.m. PT
*Watch Baylor-TCU LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Baylor Could Cover The Spread
The return of Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua cannot be overstated as a huge new development for Baylor. He was a regular piece of a national championship roster in 2021 and then a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season. JTT, as he is known, was an obvious missing piece of this team over the previous three months. A lot of people naturally identified Matthew Mayer as a guy the Bears missed, and that's true. Mayer transferred to Illinois, where he is helping the Fighting Illini make the NCAA Tournament. However, Tchamwa Tchatchoua's absence probably affected this Baylor team more than the departure of Mayer, because JTT is a better defender and rebounder whose regular every-game output is generally better than what Mayer brings to the table. Mayer is very good, but one can make the argument that Tchamwa Tchatchoua is even better. Baylor has him, and that's huge.
Also, TCU's Eddie Lampkin — the Frogs' key frontcourt force — is still out with an injury. Baylor is definitely in better shape for this game.
Why TCU Could Cover The Spread
The TCU Frogs have been playing without Mike Miles and Eddie Lampkin for a few weeks. Those are the two best players on the roster, and yet you're still seeing this team compete. It didn't come close against Kansas State, but in other recent games against Oklahoma State and other Big 12 opponents, TCU has fought quite admirably. It shouldn't be assumed that TCU will fold just because it isn't fully healthy. This team usually plays games very close even with its injuries. That can't be ignored. TCU took Mississippi State to overtime. It grabbed a win against West Virginia. This team is not going to back down from Baylor or anyone else.
Final Baylor-TCU Prediction & Pick
The injury situations for these teams are very different. Baylor has a much more favorable position, and with this spread, it's a great play to take the Bears.
Final Baylor-TCU Prediction & Pick: Baylor +1.5
