It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Sam Houston-Baylor prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Sam Houston-Baylor.
The Baylor Bears bounced back in a big way on Saturday. They defeated John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks in one of the bigger college basketball games of the past weekend. Baylor made headlines for all the wrong reasons on opening night, Nov. 4. The Bears were slaughtered by Gonzaga, losing to the Zags by 38 points in a massive blowout no one saw coming. It could be that Gonzaga will be an elite team this season. It's likely that the Zags will be a top-two or top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, when a top-10 team loses a game by 38 — Baylor was in the preseason top 10 — such a result will naturally raise eyebrows and lead a lot of people to ask questions. Was Baylor actually that good, or were the Bears horribly overrated? Let's keep in mind that teams get overrated in the preseason all the time, in any sport. Baylor might have been that one team which was trusted and embraced in ways it shouldn't have been. Maybe there was something about Baylor that people took for granted, when in fact its strengths were assumed and its weaknesses were either ignored or overlooked.
That 38-point loss was the talk of college basketball in the first week of the season. The game on Saturday against Calipari and Arkansas was Baylor's big chance to show that actually, the Bears were fine and that they just had one really bad game against Gonzaga, nothing more.
Mission accomplished. Baylor zoomed out to a comfortable lead over Arkansas and was able to hang on for a five-point win. The Bears instantly restored and rebuilt a measure of credibility and calmed fears about their readiness to compete at an elite level. They grabbed a good win and got their season back on the right track. Now they want to stay on the right track. This next game against Sam Houston is a time for Baylor not to let down its guard, but to reinforce good habits, so that the next time BU plays a top-10 team such as Gonzaga, it will be a lot more prepared to stay in the fight and not suffer an early knockout as it did on Nov. 4 in Spokane.
Here are the Sam Houston-Baylor College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Sam Houston-Baylor Odds
Sam Houston: +15.5 (-112)
Moneyline: +890
Baylor: -15.5 (-108)
Moneyline: -1700
Over: 147.5 (-110)
Under: 147.5 (-110)
How to Watch Sam Houston vs Baylor
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Sam Houston Will Cover The Spread/Win
The spread is large, and Baylor — having expended a lot of energy against Arkansas just a few days ago — might be a little spent, mentally more than physically, for this game. The Bears might win outright, but they will jog through this game instead of playing every possession with a maximum of intensity. That will be enough for Sam Houston to cover the spread.
Why Baylor Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Bears are far, far better than Sam Houston and will be playing their home opener in this game. They will be fired up to play. There will not be a letdown. Baylor will win by 25.
Final Sam Houston-Baylor Prediction & Pick
Sit back and observe this game. Baylor is a lot better but could be drained after the Arkansas win. We think you should pass on this one.
Final Sam Houston-Baylor Prediction & Pick: Baylor -15.5