The regular season wraps up in a couple of weeks, and the race for the conference title is heating up. The #7 Baylor Bears (22-5, 10-4 Big 12) battles the Oklahoma State Cowboys (13-13, 6-8 Big 12) in a conference clash that could the Bears in good shape for the conference title. In their first meeting this season, Oklahoma State knocked off Baylor, handing the Bears a 61-54 loss in Waco.
Monday night’s tipoff is at 9:00 p.m. EST inside Gallaher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, OK. Baylor is a 4.5-point road favorite in the rematch, and the over-under total is at 138.5 points.
What to Know – Baylor Bears
Baylor bounced back on Saturday after suffering their fourth conference loss to Texas Tech earlier in the week. The Bears are safely in the NCAA Tournament picture and can still improve their seeding with four tough conference matchups remaining. Baylor sits 1.5 games back of the Kansas Jayhawks in the Big 12 standings.
The Bears are second in the Big 12, scoring 77.5 points per game behind 47.1% shooting from the field and a conference-best 35.6% from the 3-point line. Baylor’s defense limits opponents to 63.0 points per contest, 42.5% shooting from the floor, and 30.1% shooting from deep.
Playing without three key contributors, Baylor showed their depth and talent with a 72-62 victory at home over TCU over the weekend. Five Bears scored in double-figures, and even though Baylor shot just 2-of-11 from three, they hit 47.1% of their shots from the field. Jeremy Sochan came off the bench to pace Baylor in scoring with 17 points.
The Bears are 14-12-1 against the spread and 5-4 ATS on the road. Baylor is 2-5 ATS over its last seven games and 1-4 ATS over its previous five matchups against the Cowboys.
What to Know – Oklahoma State Cowboys
Outside of a miracle, the Cowboys won’t be playing in the NCAA Tournament this year after reaching the Round of 32 last year. Oklahoma State has pieced together an up-and-down season, but too many (seven by ten points or less) have killed the Cowboys’ chances of another postseason birth.
OSU is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 70.0 points per game while shooting 44.1% from the floor and 30.2% from the arc. The Cowboys surrender the second-most points in the league, allowing 67.3 points per game, 39.7% shooting from the field, and league-worst 33.0% shooting from three.
It took overtime, but the Cowboys pulled out an 82-79 victory at home on Saturday over the Kansas State Wildcats. Avery Anderson III scored 20 points, hitting a game-winning 3-pointer with 3.5 seconds to go. Bryce Thompson led all scorers with 23 points for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys are 9-17 ATS and 5-9 ATS on their home court. Oklahoma State is 0-5 ATS in their previous five contests playing Baylor at home.
The Pick is In
Both teams have a quick turnaround after playing a pair of tough matchups on Saturday. Baylor will again be short-handed Monday night, and the Cowboys are playing after an exhausting overtime victory.
While the Cowboys have one of the worst scoring defenses in the conference, they do rank near the top in defending shots inside the arc.
Baylor struggled from deep on Saturday and if they can’t hit their outside shots again, look for Oklahoma State to challenge Baylor and keep it close.
Betting Pick: Oklahoma State Cowboys +4.5
