The TCU Horned Frogs take on the Baylor Bears. Check out our college basketball odds series for our TCU Baylor prediction and pick. Find how to watch TCU Baylor.
The Big 12 Conference is tough, rugged, balanced, and competitive. It's 2024, but that set of descriptions could apply to 2023, 2022, and just about any other recent year in the conference. The Big 12 is a tough conference from top to bottom. Maybe West Virginia and occasionally UCF will be easy to beat, but even those teams have beaten the Kansas Jayhawks and have been competitive in many other games. There simply isn't a regular “gimmie” in the conference. Nearly every game is tough, and that's the expectation for every team going into a new 40-minute battle.
TCU and Baylor offer evidence of how tough and balanced the Big 12 is. TCU is 3-3 in the league, Baylor 3-2, but look at each team's last five games played, all within the conference itself. All of the five most recent games for both the Horned Frogs and the Bears have been decided by a single-digit margin. None were decided by 10 points or more. It underscores the point that every Big 12 game is a dogfight, and nearly every game is still up for grabs with three or four minutes left in regulation. TCU and Baylor are solid NCAA Tournament teams. This game and many other Big 12 games will carry significance to the extent that a win can boost a team's NCAA seeding in March Madness.
Here are the TCU-Baylor College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: TCU-Baylor Odds
TCU Horned Frogs: -7.5 (-115)
Baylor Bears: +7.5 (-105)
Over: 154.5 (-110)
Under: 154.5 (-110)
How To Watch TCU vs Baylor
Time: 4:00 pm ET / 1:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why TCU Could Cover the Spread
The reality that both teams' last five games have all been decided by single digits reinforces the idea that this game will be very close. If this game is indeed very close, TCU is likely to cover the spread. If the game is decided by fewer than six points, TCU covers. You might not think TCU is a better team than Baylor, but TCU doesn't have to win; it just needs to keep the game close. Based on what we have seen in Big 12 play, the natural lean for bettors in this game should go to TCU. Add the fact that TCU and Baylor are fierce rivals. This game gets very contentious and spicy in both football and men's basketball. Baylor running away with the game is possible, but you certainly wouldn't say that it's likely.
Why Baylor Could Cover the Spread
The Bears have a real chance to win this game by at least six points and cover. TCU might have lost by only one point to Iowa State at home a week ago, but TCU trailed by more than 15 points for a significant portion of that game. TCU did not play especially well in its most recent game at Oklahoma State. Baylor did lose to Texas last Saturday, but if you watched that game, you would have seen high-level shotmaking on both sides. Baylor played well even in defeat. Baylor is playing a good bit better than TCU. The Bears could win by a healthy margin here.
Final TCU-Baylor Prediction & Pick
Baylor probably wins, but will the Bears cover? You should probably just stay away, given how close most Big 12 games tend to be.
Final TCU-Baylor Prediction & Pick: TCU +5.5
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