The Baylor Bears take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Our college basketball odds series has our Baylor-Texas Tech prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Baylor Texas Tech.

The Baylor Bears have had a very rough ride in the Big 12 Conference so far this season, but their journey is nothing compared to what Texas Tech has had to endure. Baylor has been roughed up in Big 12 play. The Bears are nowhere near the top of the conference and the Kansas Jayhawks. The past three years, Baylor was right there at the top alongside Kansas. The Bears were heavyweight team which rose to the top of the seed list on Selection Sunday and established itself as a true Final Four and national championship contender. This season, Baylor has taken a significant step back. Matthew Mayer transferred to Illinois, but that alone didn't crush the Bears. They aren't as deep as they once were, and the overall roster formula just isn't what it once ways. Great programs will go through in-between seasons when the roster isn't in the best position to max out. That's what this season certainly feels like in Waco.

Yet, compared to Texas Tech, Baylor is in good shape. Texas Tech is 0-5 in the Big 12, an unfathomable occurrence for a program which was the national runner-up in 2019 and has had very good teams in recent years under head coach Mark Adams. Tech has had some injuries and some transfers out of the program, but it should not be this bad and this dire in Lubbock. The Red Raiders are caught without enough offense to finish off 50-50 games in the final minutes of regulation. They struggled even before they arrived at the Big 12 portion of their season schedule. They need infusions of offense very badly.

Here are the Baylor-Texas Tech college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:

College Basketball Odds: Baylor-Texas Tech Odds

Baylor Bears: +1.5 (-104)

Texas Tech Red Raiders: -1.5 (-118)

Over: 144.5 (-110)

Under: 144.5 (-110)

How To Watch Baylor vs. Texas Tech

TV: ESPNU

Stream: ESPN+

Time: 9:00 p.m. ET, 6:00 p.m. PT

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Why Baylor Could Cover The Spread

The Texas Tech Red Raiders just can't get over the hump. They're competitive, but they just don't have enough offensive weapons. If their defense is anything less than spectacular, they lose … and that is precisely what has happened to them in Big 12 play. Conference opponents are too good, too skilled, too resourceful, for Tech's flaws to not be exposed and exploited. Baylor does not have its best team in recent memory — the Bears are clearly worse than they were in 2021 and 2022 — but even then, they're still a decent team. They won on the road at West Virginia a week ago and then won at home against Oklahoma State over the past weekend. Winning in Lubbock isn't easy, but Kansas and Oklahoma have already done it this season. If Oklahoma can win in Lubbock, Baylor certainly can do the same.

Why Texas Tech Could Cover The Spread

Texas Tech is just not going to keep losing Big 12 games. This team has been in the thick of most games, but simply hasn't been able to find a finishing kick. A great example was this past weekend against Texas. The Red Raiders led for a considerable portion of the game but couldn't outplay Texas down the stretch. The Red Raiders lost a very similar game to TCU a few weeks earlier. This team is right there, knocking on the door, about to win. It just has to cross the threshold. The margin between victory and defeat is small, and the laws of averages say Tech is going to fall on the right side of that equation before too long. It could easily happen in this game.

Final Baylor-Texas Tech Prediction & Pick

Stay away from this game. Texas Tech is on a losing streak, but that streak could get broken on any given night. You don't want to risk betting for — or against — Texas Tech. You'll feel bad either way.

Final Baylor-Texas Tech Prediction & Pick: Baylor -1.5